Trivago Tests New TV Commercials

About five months after debuting a global ad campaign that used AI to enable its pitchman to speak in multiple languages for different markets, Trivago is testing new commercials in the U.S.

“We are continuously testing new TV spots to evolve our campaign,” CEO Johannes Thomas told Skift. “It’s part of our optimization efforts. Our team has produced three new ads recently and there are more to come. We are excited about the pace of iteration and learning we see.”

iSpot.TV, a TV advertising analytics firm, told Skift that Trivago spent an estimated $8.3 million on national TV advertising on the ad that launched in December, “Ideal Hotel: Save Up to $30 a Night,” and that it stopped airing on national TV at the end of March.

Two of the new ads are “Game Show,” which began airing on U.S. TV on a national basis beginning April 12, and “The Best Price: Save Up to $50 a Night,” which debuted on the same day, according to iSpot.TV.

Trivago’s ‘Game How’ TV Commercial

“Game Show” shows Sara answering questions about a subject that she’s an expert in — finding the best deals across multiple websites using Trivago. A Trivago spokesperson said AI will eventually be integrated into this one for language localization purposes in other markets.

ISpot.TV offered the following info about Game Show.

• Estimated national TV ad spend as of last weekend: $261,000
• Household TV ad impressions: 55 million
• Top programs by impressions share of voice: The Young and the Restless (9.2%), SWAT (8.2%), and 48 Hours (5.7%)
• Top networks by impressions share of voice: CBS (27.1%), TLC (7.0%), and Freeform (6.1%)

Trivago’s ‘The Best Price’ TV Commercial

In “The Best Price: Save Up to $50 a Night,” someone who appears as if he’s a hotel front desk employee greets a guest with “Welcome to Trivago,” and he explains how to find the best deals and save up to $50 per night using Trivago. The prospective guest does the match and says, “Wait, that’s $350 for a week.” She’s ecstatic and two other guests behind her look on dejectedly.

Here’s the stats on that commercial from iSpot.TV.

• Estimated national TV ad spend as of last weekend: $377,000
• Household TV ad impressions: 68 million
• Top programs by impressions share of voice: Billy Joel – The 100th (8.2%), Blue Bloods (7.1%), and NCIS: Hawaii (6.5%)
• Top networks by impressions share of voice: CBS (36.0%), CNN (6.1%), and Food Network (5.3%)

Trivago’s New Strategy

The Trivago executive team is trying to resurrect the struggling hotel metasearch company by giving new emphasis to brand campaigns in key markets around the world.

Correction: The headline in the initial version of this article indicated that one of Trivago’s ads would use AI. A Trivago spokesperson said AI will eventually be integrated into the ad.