Expedia
”Stuff”

“I doubt that any of us will look back on our lives and think, I wish I’d bought an even thinner TV, found a lighter light beer or had an even smarter smartphone.”

That’s how Ewan McGregor opened our Super Bowl campaign, urging viewers to focus on experiences over stuff.

To drive it home, we launched #TravelTheAds, a live Twitter contest that turned Super Bowl ads into real travel experiences. While brands pushed products, we gave away 20 trips worth $120,000 – from Greek getaways inspired by a BMW ad to road trips planned in real time with Barbie.

The results were massive:

• Top 20% most-talked-about Super Bowl ads.

• 7.14 billion impressions in 24 hours.

• 87,000 hashtag uses, 42,000 contest entries, and 4,000 opt-ins.

• 95% positive sentiment and 180× more reach than any other travel brand.

Twitter gave us their ‘Most Creative Play’ award, back when that meant something.

Some coverage: Forbes, Today and Adweek.