First Web 2.0 Company to Introduce Integrated Marketing Campaign    

Annouces Contest Where Consumers Create Their Own Kayak.com Ad For Chance To See It Produced in New York and Used on TV 

NORWALK, Conn. - July 10, 2006 - Kayak.com, the world’s largest travel search engine, is using provocative and unconventional humor to launch its first-ever offline advertising campaign. The Trip Ideas campaign, created by New York-based The Brooklyn Brothers, features travel destinations set against current events to engage the traveler and cut through the clutter of traditional travel advertising. Ads were produced with the adventurous and independent traveler in mind, a trademark of Kayak.com users who enjoy the site’s playful tone. The $10 million campaign will debut on Monday, July 10, on cable television’s top news, lifestyle and entertainment channels.

“From the beginning, Kayak.com eschewed the staid tone of other travel sites and opted for humor and irreverence to communicate our brand and we wanted to strike the same tone with our advertising,” said Dean Harris, chief marketing officer of Kayak.com. “This campaign is fun and will break through the clutter of travel ads. We also see these ads having viral potential and hope consumers will be so entertained that they will visit Kayak.com to view all our ads and then forward favorites to friends.”

The Brooklyn Brothers created 13 initial spots which highlight both domestic and international destinations in an animated format. The campaign celebrates the unique characteristics that keep each destination among the top searched on Kayak.com. The Trip Ideas campaign will launch initially offline with online elements following later this summer. All ads will be available to the public on Kayak.com.

Each ad in the Trip Ideas campaign is content rich and incorporates wit and unexpected elements so viewers will notice something new each time and look forward to seeing the ads repeated. For example, Trip Idea # 101 invites viewers to “Visit LA, where the pools are deeper than some of the people.” Socialites resembling Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson parade through the streets of Los Angeles smiling on the red carpet while the punch line features a voluptuous Pamela Anderson look-a-like floating above a pool thanks to her air-worthy implants. In addition, Trip Idea #39 recommends viewers “Plan a safe hunting trip.” A group of birds flying over a forest are shot down by a caricature of Vice President Dick Cheney who, wearing a Rambo bandana, brashly winks and closes his eyes before pulling the trigger.

Harris noted that the company is the first Web 2.0 site to launch an integrated media campaign. “Kayak.com is gaining recognition from travel experts and early adopters as a top travel Web site and we thought it was time to use TV to introduce the site to mainstream consumers. In my experience, TV is still the most efficient way to launch a brand into a household name,” he said.

As part of the campaign launch, Kayak.com debuted a new tag line, “Life’s A Trip” as well as signature copy, “There are a million reasons to travel. There’s one site to search before you go.”

“Most agency creatives try to push their clients to produce the most outrageous work they can, then settle for a compromise,” said Guy Barnett, Creative Director, The Brooklyn Brothers. “In this case, Kayak.com often came up with more provocative concepts than we did. By targeting the conventional, in all its shades, we hope to demonstrate our support for the independently-minded traveler. The Kayak ads are as adventurous as the Kayak.com users.”

Create Your Own Trip Idea Ad Contest
As a Web 2.0 site, Kayak.com encourages user-generated content and is launching a contest that will turn one lucky consumer into a Madison Avenue creative director. To enter, consumers visit the site and use Kayak’s Ad Guru tool to create their own Trip Idea ad with photos and copy. A panel of blue ribbon judges will choose the winning ad which will be used in both online and offline advertising. The winner will be flown to New York with a friend for a three-night stay and see his/her ad produced in a production studio. The Trip Ideas contest ends Monday, September 4. The winner will be notified in late September.

Editor’s note: View all Kayak ads at http://corp.kayak.com/promo/tvspots.html.