The US is one of the world’s largest travel markets, representing over $1 trillion in annual spend. With vacation days scarce – the average employee gets 14 days off – competition is fierce, and the environment is cluttered.
Consumer behavior in the travel space is driven by familiarity and legacy. In the crowded U.S. travel market, Booking.com sought to boost brand awareness and consideration, moving consumers away from settled brand habits with competitors like Expedia and AirBnB.
We needed to grab people’s attention in the moments when they’re really thinking about travel.
Our research uncovered a growing travel trend known as “set-jetting.” Two-thirds of global travelers have considered traveling to destinations after seeing them on TV or in movies. A whopping 39% have actually then gone on to book those trips.
Set-jetting involve trips and experiences such as relaxing in Thailand after watching The White Lotus, or planning a ranch getaway inspired by Yellowstone. You may choose to travel the River Thames in London via high-speed boat like James Bond, visit the stately homes featured in Jane Austen adaptations, or watch Emily in Paris and then travel to the French capital.
We set out to find great content that featured travel; the kind that would appeal to set-jetters and where the brand could integrate naturally. Content that highlighted travel destinations where Booking.com had ample accommodations—and showed signs of promise of becoming a cultural moment.
We briefed our partners, and after talking to Amazon, landed on an upcoming film they were launching—an original called “The Idea of You.”
We transformed “The Idea of You” into the ultimate travel brochure.
We created a custom travel hub, featuring an interactive map that took viewers deeper into the film’s best destinations. Be it through TVs, laptops, tablets, or smartphones, the travel hub enabled viewers to unlock behind-the-scenes footage, and related trips and unique experiences available on Booking.com. All of it was connected to the main characters in the film and featured accommodations that matched the plot, from campgrounds in Palm Desert, to hotels in NYC, to apartments in Paris, to villas in the French Riviera.
To ensure our program wouldn’t be missed, we dominated Amazon’s media ecosystem, leveraging wide-ranging ad formats and properties on FireTV, FreeVee, IMDB, and interactive streaming inventory. This included co-branded assets across these pages, pre-roll video, social posts, and name/title conquesting on IMDB, which put Booking.com branding across any searches for Idea of You actors or content.
Our co-branded experience set-jet its way to phenomenal results.
The Idea of You was the #1 movie on Prime Video, garnering 125 million trailer views during our campaign – the top result for any streaming original—more than proving our decision right to align with this film.
Our co-branded content delivered 126 million impressions across the Amazon ecosystem. We drove significant lifts across our key KPIs—with double-digit lifts for all upper-funnel metrics as well as lifts in ad recall and consideration.
Results included:
+46% unaided brand awareness
+41% unaided ad awareness
+7% brand consideration
+9% brand opinion
Booking.com broke through the clutter and showed consumers a different way to travel the world.
Festival of Media Global Awards 2025
Bronze Best Use of Online
The Internationalist 2025
Silver Innovation in Media Award
M&M Global Awards 2025
Shortlisted Best Campaign led by Digital Media
Shortlisted Best Campaign for Tourism & Travel
Best Campaign led by Content
