Lastminute.com.au bursts back onto scene

Lastminute.com.au bursts back onto scene

Lastminute.com.au will attempt to reintroduce its brand to the Australian market with its first major campaign since Wotif Group acquired it in February 2008.

The campaign, which launched yesterday, features a number of “cheeky” video clips which are designed to capture the attention of travellers, and convey the site’s commitment to spontaneity, director of brand marketing Amanda Behre told Travel Weekly.

The company has decided to launch the push now to capitalise on the “silly season” in the run up to Christmas.

“We’ve done a lot of work on the evolution of the website, app and mobile site as well,” she said.

“We’ve got a lot of options now, from the breadth of hotel inventory through to package options, flights, activities and car hire.”

Behre pointed to a recent study of 3300 Aussies undertaken by Lastminute.com.au which showed that 70% of respondents had made travel plans for the same day.

“We really want to make sure that this brand is living and breathing in that last minute space,” she said.

The company taps into the extensive hotel inventory of Wotif but with the added benefit of mobile exclusives and same-day deals to enhance its appeal for the impulsive traveller. But Behre was quick to emphasise that its target market is defined by a “mindset rather than a specific age or demographic” and that perceptions of last minute travel differ from person to person.

“We don’t want to alienate people that think last minute is a month or two away either.”

As a result, the company has categorised the ‘lastminute traveller’ into three segments: the crisis traveller, the disorganised traveller and the spontaneous traveller.

The push comes amid growing competition in the online arena, Behre admitted, with differentiation key to getting cut-through nationwide.

When questioned on why the company has waited so long to reassert its position, Behre highlighted the “tough environment”.

“We always have to think about investing in performance metrics first,” she said.

“We thought the time was right now. We’ve got a great site, great content, so now’s the right time to go aggressively out into market.”

 

 

 

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