How the hotel booking agency is revitalising its brand with Jürgen Klopp
Through a global brand campaign featuring Jürgen Klopp, the hotel booking platform trivago not only significantly boosted its brand perception, but also paved the way back to profitability after several challenging years.
This success story is a compelling case that demonstrates the effectiveness and impact of strong brand ambassadors.
In this Success Story:
77 %
...of people who know Jürgen Klopp as a trivago brand ambassador have a high intention to use the service.
85 %
of people who saw the commercial featuring Jürgen Klopp perceive trivago as likable.
54 %
of people who know Jürgen Klopp as a trivago brand ambassador interact with the website.
The Challenge
trivago, a hotel broker, was faced with a double challenge.In a highly competitive market, the brand had to fight its way back into the relevant set of consumers. At the same time, high marketing costs and strong dependence on Google and other search engines had to be reduced to strengthen the brand again in the long term.
After several profitable years, trivago suffered financial losses due to the pandemic and changes in user behavior. Users accessed trivago's services via expensive third-party channels, meaning there was no direct customer access.
The central task was therefore to re-establish the brand in consumers' minds with a suitable brand ambassador, rebuild trust and sympathy and generate more direct demand, in order to secure long-term profitable growth.
The Solution
The collaboration between SPORTFIVE and projectFIVE creates tailored strategies that take a holistic view of personalities, aiming to translate their values, stance, and public appeal into an authentic portfolio of partnerships, platforms, and relevant stories. SPORTFIVE contributes its expertise and network to initiate and broker suitable partnerships, while projectFIVE works alongside clients to develop the strategic framework and implement the collaboration.
In the case of trivago, this collaboration brought Jürgen Klopp together with the international travel platform. Building on the successful brokering by SPORTFIVE, projectFIVE collaborated with trivago and Jürgen Klopp to develop a strategic brand solution that went far beyond traditional advertising: by selecting the German football manager, trivago consciously opted for someone with global appeal and high credibility. His personality became the central focus of a global campaign that could be consistently rolled out across markets, conveying a sense of approachability and likability. Modern, scalable campaign mechanics and the targeted use of innovative AI technologies enabled efficient international activation that could be adapted locally. The campaign’s objectives were clearly defined: to increase direct customer traffic and improve the perception of the trivago brand in the long term.
We are delighted to have facilitated this global partnership between trivago and Jürgen Klopp. We are committed to developing a mutually beneficial partnership.
Ron Wiegand, Senior Vice President Athlete & Team Marketing SPORTFIVE
The Result
The global campaign featuring Jürgen Klopp had a clearly measurable impact: trivago's brand perception improved noticeably and trust in the brand was strengthened in the long term. Consumers exposed to the campaign demonstrated significantly higher intentions to use the service, stronger engagement rates, and a more positive perception of the brand. Consequently, trivago succeeded in re-establishing itself within users' 'relevant set'.
Following the launch of the advertising campaign, direct click-throughs to trivago increased markedly, with far fewer consumers taking the—for trivago, costly—detour via search engines, enabling the hotel booking provider to return to profitability for the first time after several challenging years. The campaign thus marked a genuine turning point for trivago.
Study Basis
An accompanying study assessed awareness of Jürgen Klopp’s role as a trivago brand ambassador, as well as whether the corresponding advertisement had been seen. Those who were aware of the advert were significantly more likely to intend to use the service and had a more positive perception of the brand.
“The advertising featuring Jürgen Klopp was very successful. Now, the majority of people searching now click directly on our site.”
Johannes Thomas, CEO trivago
