How travel booking brands are targeting niche audiences through partnerships
In the competitive world of online travel booking, brands like Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Priceline are finding ways to reach niche markets through strategic partnerships. This analysis delves into how these partnerships are performing with specific audience segments versus the general population, focusing on three key metrics: Advertising Awareness, Consideration, and Current Customer.
Booking.com teams up with Major League Baseball
Booking.com has stepped up to the plate as the official online travel partner of Major League Baseball. This partnership aims to capture the hearts of MLB fans by aligning with America’s favorite pastime. The numbers suggest that Booking.com’s strategy, including MLB-oriented video ads, might be hitting the right marks.
Ad Awareness among MLB fans is at 24.1%, slightly higher than the general population’s 21.0%. Consideration among MLB fans is also higher at 25.2% compared to 23.3% for the general population. More importantly, Booking.com sees a lift in Current Customers from 9.6% in the general population to 11.7% among MLB fans, meaning that these targeted campaigns may be turning MLB fans into bookers.
Hotels.com and the NBA: A winning combo
Hotels.com has partnered with the NBA to become its official travel partner, hoping to score big with basketball fans. The partnership, now in its fourth year, appears to be a slam dunk. Ad Awareness among NBA fans is 20.3%, compared to 15.8% among the general population.
This heightened visibility seems to be translating into bookings: 13.0% of NBA fans have recently used Hotels.com, significantly higher than the general rate of 7.9%. The brand also enjoys a higher Consideration rate among NBA fans (27.4%) than in the general population (23.1%).
Priceline’s salute to US veterans
Priceline has chosen a distinct path by offering exclusive travel benefits to US veterans, aiming to honor their service with special deals through American Forces Travel. However, this strategy shows mixed results.
Ad Awareness among current or former military personnel is slightly higher at 14.0% compared to 12.8% in the general population, but the Consideration and Current Customer metrics tell a tougher story. Consideration among veterans is slightly lower at 14.1% versus 15.2% for the general population, and Current Customer numbers also lag at 3.0% compared to 3.5%. While these numbers may look discouraging, this may be because the special offer to military personnel is offered through a distinctly branded website.
The strategies employed by Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Priceline illustrate the potential of targeted partnerships to enhance brand metrics among niche audiences. While Booking.com and Hotels.com show positive results, reaching and converting MLB and NBA fans into customers, Priceline’s approach to engage US veterans appears less effective. This analysis underscores the importance of choosing the right partnership to resonate with specific consumer segments.
Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for the US is nationally representative of the online population and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.