Ads Review - Vrbo “Your Together Awaits” Campaign
Welcome back to the Ads Review, where I review great digital advertisements, breaking down what worked well with them, and my ideas to make them better. This week in we’re breaking down Vrbo’s “Your Together Awaits” campaign, which has been running as pre-roll ads on YouTube the past few months.
Check out the full campaign below.
Why they work
Human connection
Human connection is big. Vrbo doesn’t try to sell that they’re better than Airbnb, or that their app is easy to use, or that they have great rates. They go deep here, making our longing for human connection the selling point, and positioning their service as the way to attain it.
Tension
These Vrbo ads could have only used positive human connection as their selling point. But they exponentially increased the power of their selling point by introducing tension. In the That Look Only Happens ad, the voice-over states, “That look can’t happen after binge watching the third season of God knows what.” Fantastic. In the That Face Only Happens ad, the voice-over says, “That face is laughing. That face is expressive. That face is talking more than one syllable at a time. That face wouldn’t be doing that if you weren’t stying at a Vrbo lake house.”
These ads strategically introduce tension to make it clear that the customer’s current circumstances aren’t helping them achieve connection. And they won’t.
High quality work
These ads are high quality. With a slower-paced, artistic ad like this, anything less than a premium quality opening shot would have viewers skipping the second they had the chance. I’m sure many still are. But for me, the cinematic opening shot, paired with an earnest voice-over performance, kept my interest through the end. In an age where fast-paced ads and punchy calls-to-action win, it’s important to remember that genuinely high-quality work can still cut though the noise.
Ideas for improvement
The only idea I have to make these ads better would a stronger call-to-action at the end of each ad. Currently, all it says is “Your together awaits. Find it with Vrbo.” Then the ads show a “download now” button. I think this should be stronger.
On The Marketing Spectrum, it seems Vrbo is heavily brand-focused, so they’re likely avoiding a strong CTA to maintain that. I think they earned the right to make a strong CTA with their fantastic visuals and voice-over. Customers wouldn’t be annoyed by something like, “start browsing great rates on our app today,” instead of a quiet, “Find it with Vrbo.”
Closing
All in all, these ads are some of the best I’ve seen on YouTube in a long time. Vrbo has a great service, and if marketed well, I believe they really can help families and friends reconnect. More great Vrbo ads could change our culture for the better by inspiring thousands of families to get away together. Great work, Vrbo!
