Trivago’s tube ad campaign is hitting home – but has it altered brand perception?

Over the past few weeks, several commentators have made reference to the seemingly ubiquitous presence of the ‘Trivago Woman’ advert at Underground stations.

The harshest critics say (in a tongue in cheek way) that they feel they can’t escape the appearances on the tube of Gabrielle Miller, an Australian actress who is the face of Trivago’s adverts.

Our brand tracking data underlines that the campaign has been noticed. YouGov’s Ad Awareness metric shows that among the population in general, Trivago’s score increased from 28% in mid-July to 35% in mid-August

However, among those that live in London the improvement in the score is even more marked. Mid-way through July its score was at a 27%, before rising to a high point of 42% towards the end of August. While it has fallen off a bit in the past couple of weeks it continues to score highly and currently stands on 36%.

YouGov Profiles data suggests that the decision to advertise heavily in billboard and poster format is a sound one. Looking at those that would consider using Trivago, over half (55%) of this group say that posters/billboards help them become aware of new products and services (compared to 44% of the public generally). Furthermore, six in ten (60%) say they often notice adverts at train stations (vs. 52% of the population as a whole).

Some critics have accused Trivago of prioritising media spend over fashioning a creative and lasting message that better represents the brand and which prompts an emotional response from consumers. YouGov data suggests there is some truth to this belief.

Despite a significant rise in Ad Awareness score, Trivago isn’t really improving its rating when it comes to other brand perception measures. For example, YouGov’s Purchase Consideration metric) has remained fairly static among all respondents over the past month, hovering around the +22 mark, with a similar score present among those living in London.

So while the advert has certainly succeeded in raising awareness – especially in the capital – to truly alter perception, Trivago’s next campaign may need to travel in a different direction.

This article originally appeared in City A.M.

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