MAKE IT A GAME DAY VRBO
Creative Concept / Campaign Art Direction / Experience Design
Situation
Expedia Group asked us to do what’s never been done before: collapse the space between the couch and kickoff. Could we transform passive football fandom into active travel planning—all without leaving the Amazon ecosystem?
Enter Expedia Escapes: Vrbo Live Sports Edition.
The CHALLENGE
Sports are more than entertainment—they’re rituals, destinations, and community. And nearly half of fans already dream of traveling for a game. But the path from that dream to booking is long, messy, and filled with distractions—up to 277 webpages, in fact.
So we created a shortcut.
The IDEA
Make it a Game Day Vrbo
We embedded Vrbo directly into Thursday Night Football broadcast — bringing stadium cities, travel inspiration, and real-time Vrbo listings into the game-day moment. A single click took fans from the field on TV to the front door of their next vacation rental.
The EXECUTION
Prime Video Integration: During TNF, viewers saw Vrbo spots starring Nick Saban and could tap to receive a push notification—a second-screen shortcut to the experience. This was not an ad. It was an invitation.
Custom Amazon Storefront: Built for both mobile and desktop, the Vrbo x TNF landing page showcased every upcoming game, complete with clickable host cities and Vrbo listings near each stadium. Expedia’s API ensured real-time pricing and availability.
Display & Search Media: From midweek dreamers to Sunday strategists, custom Amazon placements told fans exactly what they needed to hear: “Turn Game Day into a Vacation”
RESULTS
We didn’t just reach football fans—we moved them. From the first whistle to the final click, Vrbo’s Thursday Night Football integration scored big across every metric that matters:
📈 +84% increase in engagement vs. benchmark travel storefronts on Amazon
💰 4.7x return on ad spend (ROAS) across Streaming TV, Prime Video, and Display
🏈 128,000+ game-related travel sessions on the TNF landing page in the first 6 weeks
📲 29% push notification engagement rate, outperforming Amazon retail benchmarks by 2.5x
🏘️ +61% increase in "Book Now" intent signals (property saves, wishlist adds, and trip planning behaviors)
🌍 Top-performing cities: Dallas, Kansas City, and Philadelphia—driven by playoff interest and rivalry hype
💬 Fan sentiment up +38%, driven by the seamlessness of the second-screen experience
But more than the metrics, Vrbo did something new: It shortened the fan journey from screen to stadium. And it proved that with the right tech, right message, and right moment—you don’t need 277 webpages to book a trip.