Orbitz Games

Orbitz (http://www.orbitz.com) is a leading online travel company that enables travelers to search for and purchase a broad array of travel products, including airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Orbitz has become one of the largest online travel sites in the world based on gross travel bookings. On Orbitz, consumers can search more than 80,000 suppliers worldwide including airlines, hotels and car rental companies.

BACKGROUND:

The Orbitz pop-under games are an extremely successful marketing vehicle that not only offer strong brand awareness but drive significant traffic to the site and ultimately transactions. Orbitz wanted to build on this success as well as offer a place to connect with consumers who are not currently in travel mode, to create a positive experience for these consumers so when they are searching for travel they will search and potentially book with Orbitz.

SOLUTION

We built a site that integrates the Orbitz brand into unique and highly branded interactive experiences to allow consumers to immerse themselves in gameplay while being exposed to brand messages and special travel offers. In the process, we also created a new revenue stream for Orbitz, providing opportunities to sell valuable online advertising placements throughout the site as well as continue to drive a high volume of visits and sustained interaction within the content of the site. Along with developing the creative strategy and visual identity for Orbitz Games, we also engineered the backend server environment which hosts the site and its corresponding databases. We have developed over 25 unique games and refresh the site every quarter with a new game that is integrated with an exclusive promotional sweepstakes. The success of keeping Orbitz in the mind of travelers who aren't in "travel mode" has been huge and the site is one of the most recognizable and highly trafficked assets in the Orbitz brand.

TECHNICAL HORSEPOWER

Along with the backend development, we are also responsible for the database development, hosting and server environments, and custom tracking and metrics reporting tools. We track the performance of the site and its games and regularly optimize usability to ensure the site consistently performs well. Reporting performance and offering a strategic perspective on the data mined from Orbitz Games allows us to help Orbitz shape the consumer experience so it is an efficient and valuable component of their overall online marketing strategy.

COMMUNITY

In an effort to increase the site's "stickiness" and encourage more frequent visitation, we built simple communal features into the site that work to create a relationship with consumers and encourage them to continue to return and play. Such features include a custom profile creator, peer-to-peer capability for select games, downloadable screen savers, AIM icons, and printable trophies rewarded for game play. Moving forward, the communal aspect of the Orbitz Games site will continue to evolve to more directly reward consumers for visiting and playing as well as to increase viral or pass-a-long potential.

GAMES

The games are designed to be easy to understand, utilize simple controls, aspire to forgiving game play and playable within an internet browser on a basic computer system. They are also designed to capture the spirit of the Orbitz brand and integrate travel offers seamlessly into the game play to help drive qualified traffic to Orbitz.com and encourage bookings.

SUCCESS METRICS

Orbitz Games receives regular visitation to the site, engages consumers and creates a positive brand experience. The site is measured for brand-building success through visitation, engagement, time spent, and viral. 15 letters also measures direct-response by tracking clicks, conversions as well as collecting opt-ins.