Whether it's traveling gnomes, over-the-top adventures of William Shatner or a weird guy that just appears out of another guy's sweater to look up something on his computer, travel site advertising has tended towards humor and the absurd. All of which makes the new campaign by Expedia stand out as something truly different.
The campaign is called "Find Yours," Each video in the campaign is a well-crafted story about a very meaningful trip. Instead of inviting you to find the right hotel or the best price on flights, they invite you to "find your strength" or "find your understanding." The trips featured in the spots are life-changing journeys where you find out something about yourself. They are powerful, moving stories – so if you're an ol' softy like me, you might want to keep a tissue handy.
The first spot, "find your strength" is about a woman who survived cancer and felt getting cancer was worth it because of one amazing little boy she met in the cancer ward of St. Jude's hospital. The boy's cancer is terminal, but he too felt that it was worth it because he was able to meet our gal, whose story this is. Now, she's making the journey to Dallas to share her story at a St. Jude hospital.
Expedia – Find Your Strength
In the second one, 'find your understanding" we see older man flipping through old photos of his little girl as we hear her dad talk about the expectations he had for her and her life. Part of those expectations were that she'd some day have a husband. And then the day came when Vicky ask to marry his now grown girl. He had trouble coming to terms with the idea of his daughter marrying a woman. It nearly tore them apart. But he flew out for the wedding and saw how happy they were and came to an understanding.
Expedia – Find Your Understanding
Both of these spots are very human, touching stories. I think they are not only beautiful and well-done, but they're smart. They don't sell you on Expedia's services directly, but the underlying message is – if we can be trusted for such important journeys as these, you know we can be trusted to deliver you and your family on your next Disney vacation. they have a whole series of Find Your spots, but I thought these two were the best. Those are my thoughts, what are yours?
Mike McClure – No! those are tears, it's my darn allergies!
