Orbitz Jumps Into Election Year Fray and Vows to Give Americans the Vacation They Deserve with New Website Design and Ad Campaign

Orbitz Jumps Into Election Year Fray and Vows to Give Americans the Vacation They Deserve with New Website Design and Ad Campaign

New TV commercial and site redesign jumpstarts a vacation movement and reflects spirit of the "travel-luster"

CHICAGO, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- With six months to election day, online travel leader Orbitz.com today said that Americans must come to grips with balancing work and vacation and said it will lead the charge to get Americans to shuck their status as the "no vacation nation," launching a redesigned website and a new advertising campaign that serves as a rallying cry for all Americans to take the vacation days they have earned and deserve.

With numerous studies documenting the physical and mental health benefits of vacation, and polls such as a Reuters/Ipsos survey showing that only 57% of U.S. workers take all their vacation time compared to 89% of workers in France, Orbitz said it had no choice but to step up and help close the vacation gap(1). "We know that election year politics makes it difficult to get things done in Washington, so we are prepared to take the lead and try to do something about this vast cultural divide to improve the lives of Americans across the country," said Chris Orton, president of Orbitz.com. "And at Orbitz, we have travel tools that make it easy for consumers to plan and book vacations that are nothing less than awesome."

Vowing not to make idle campaign promises, Orbitz today issued a TAKEITBACK 10% discount code for hotel rooms booked through May 13 to jumpstart the vacation planning movement(2).

The new ad campaign, revealed today by Orbitz, sparks the movement among Americans to take their vacations back. Orbitz also introduced a refreshed website that brings to life the tenets of the new campaign through a more colorful and vibrant look and feel. The site debuts an enhanced Orbitz logo with a rich color palate, plus a sleek, fresh and lively design that draws users in and puts the most useful travel tools and content front and center for consumers.

"With the launch of our new ad campaign, Orbitz is encouraging all travel-lusters to celebrate the joy of travel and revel in every moment of every trip," said Orton. "Vacations are fun - that's why we take them - and we want planning and booking travel to be part of the enjoyment. So, we thought it was important for the energy of the new ads to penetrate throughout the entire brand. Orbitz.com's award winning user experience has been enhanced with engaging imagery and a design that inspires the desire to travel and reminds consumers of the benefits of getting away from the daily routine."

The first commercial in the campaign, "Vacation Declaration," showcases travelers across a myriad of vacation destinations making declarations about the amazing trips they booked for a great price on Orbitz. In the spot, consumers vow to, "take their vacation days...all of them and book their next trip before this one ends." The inaugural spot will be followed up by ads that showcase how Orbitz helps travelers get more out of their trips with unique and intuitive planning tools. The Orbitz Facebook page allows travelers to endorse the movement by signing a pledge declaring the promise to take all their vacation days in 2012.

Click here to view the new TV spot.

The new advertising campaign was created by BBDO New York and will also be supported with print and online banner display ads, social media and onsite. The TV commercials will run on 20 cable networks including ESPN, E!, Food Network, Travel Channel, TNT, Weather Channel, AMC and Comedy Central among others. The ads will also air on NBC's late night shows including The Tonight Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Last Call with Carson Daly.

TAKE YOUR VACATION BACK NOW!

Orbitz is making it easy to jump on the vacation planning campaign bandwagon, starting with the TAKEITBACK 10% discount code on hotel rooms booked by May 13, 2012. To set the mood for that perfect vacation, would-be travelers can download the Orbitz Vacation Revolution Kit, which includes a vacation countdown widget for their computer screen, a playlist of all of the hottest vacations songs on Spotify and Grooveshark, as well as a variety of fun out-of-office email messages, and more. Finally, travel-lusters should go to the Orbitz Facebook page to sign the pledge declaring to take their vacation days...all of them.

Terms & Conditions

(1)Reference to Reuters/Ipsos poll: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-23/travel/vacation.in.america_1_vacation-germans-long-holiday?_s=PM:TRAVEL

(2)Book a qualifying hotel between May 7, 2012 12:00AM (CDT) and May 13, 2012 11:59PM (CDT), for 1 or more nights for travel between May 7, 2012 and June 18, 2012 via Orbitz and instantly receive 10% off your booking through the use of the promotion code TAKEITBACK. Limit one discount per hotel room and one promotion code per booking. Discounts are not redeemable for cash for any reason. Promotion codes are non-transferrable and not for resale. Any attempt at fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted. Orbitz reserves the right to change or limit the promotion in its sole discretion.

About Orbitz.com

Orbitz.com is a leading online travel company that enables travelers to search for and book an array of travel products and services, including flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and vacation packages. Since launching its website in June 2001, Orbitz.com has become one of the largest online travel sites in the world and has led the industry with innovations including the Orbitz Matrix Display and Orbitz Price Assurance. The Matrix Display revolutionized the way the travel industry displayed fares and makes it quick and easy for consumers to compare flights, rental cars and vacation packages. The Price Assurance program gives travelers confidence that they have the lowest Orbitz price on their flight or hotel. With Price Assurance, if another Orbitz customer books the same flight or prepaid hotel for less, we'll send you a check for the difference -- automatically. Orbitz.com also offers "Insider Steals" a weekly, members-only flash sale that provides exclusive deals of 50% or more off of handpicked hotels in top destinations around the world. On Orbitz.com consumers can search a broad range of suppliers worldwide. Orbitz.com is owned by Orbitz Worldwide. Stay connected to Orbitz.com with sale alerts, exclusive promotions and engaging conversations by following Orbitz on Facebook, Twitter and the Orbitz Travel Blog.

About Orbitz Worldwide

Orbitz Worldwide is a leading global online travel company that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products. Orbitz Worldwide owns a portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz, CheapTickets, ebookers, HotelClub, RatesToGo and the Away Network. Also within the Orbitz Worldwide family, Orbitz Worldwide Distribution delivers private label travel solutions to a broad range of partners including many of the world's largest airlines, and Orbitz for Business delivers managed corporate travel solutions for corporations. Orbitz Worldwide uses its Investor Relations website to make information available to its investors and the public at http://investors.orbitz.com. You can sign up to receive email alerts whenever the company posts new information to the website.



SOURCE Orbitz.com

Orbitz.com

CONTACT: Marita Hudson Thomas of Orbitz.com, +1-312-260-8304, marita.thomas@orbitz.com


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