Title	SEARCH FOR THE MODERN EXPLORER
Brand	EXPEDIA
Product/Service	TRAVEL
Category	A09. USE OF OTHER DIGITAL PLATFORMS IN A MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Media Agency	PHD London, UNITED KINGDOM
Entrant Company	PHD London, UNITED KINGDOM
Media Agency 2	PHD London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Carine Poot	PHD International	Associate Digital Director
Jill Llyod	Expedia	Senior Pr And Social Media Manager/Emea
Gregory Gonsalves	Microsoft	Global Account Manager
Alexander Mctaggart	Microsoft	Multinational Solution/Account Manager
John/Paul James	Microsoft	Multinational Account Director
Metin Alsanjak	Microsoft	Content Strategist

Results and Effectiveness

There was a 54% lift in the percentage of users engaging in a brand-related activity (such as visiting or searching for Expedia) after ad exposure. 1% clicked through from the hub to download the app. Over 12m people were exposed to the campaign, resulting in 3m page views and 500k visits to the hub in just three months. With an average session time of 1 min 30, that’s 13.5k hours spent engaging with the content (the equivalent of watching Gulliver’s Travels 7k+ times). The map challenge also proved a huge success with 40k interactions.

Creative Execution

In partnership with Microsoft we launched an integrated solution across Bing, Skype and MSN. Almost 100 articles were written to drive traffic to a hub where the Modern Explorer’s journey could be followed. These worked with targeted display ads across the Microsoft network and take-overs on Skype. On the hub there was a shareable, digital version of a “scratch” map. This custom-built Bing Map allows users to click on all the countries they have visited to see how they compare to some of the most famous explorers in the world. By using the data they provided, users were then served suggestions of places they hadn't been to yet, with a call to action to discover more on the Expedia website and download the app. Skype Q&A sessions were also held with the Modern Explorers. This was the first time these platforms had been used together in this way.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

In the 90’s, Expedia led the digital travel revolution by bringing the tools of the travel agent to everyone. In 2014, Expedia needed to reclaim its position as a pioneer of travel technology and communicate its latest innovations, particularly its mobile app’s itinerary functionality. However, the benefits of the app can only be appreciated once you’ve already booked, so Expedia needed to create a journey where the app would play a key role. Marco Polo, Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus… Their travel plans were shared in logs, newspapers and through word of mouth. The Modern Explorer’s preparation is online and on the go. By recreating a historic journey today, Expedia could tell a story with technology as the protagonist, showing the positive role of technology in our travels. Expedia’s Search for the Modern Explorer was launched. Four lucky travellers would retrace Vasco da Gama’s epic route from Portugal to India.