It's only week 15 in the NFL season, but HomeAway has already kicked off the hype, which will culminate in its second Super Bowl ad on Feb. 6.
In a multimedia press release replete with allusions to WikiLeaks, a video, embed code, photos and social media twists, HomeAway announces the following:
Facing reports that Wiki-Peeks.org (no relation to WikiLeaks) was about to release details of a new secret government agency, HomeAway, Inc. – the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace – today revealed its involvement in the formation of the “Ministry of Detourism,” an organization working to save family vacations.
Here's the accompanying "sneak-peak video, designed as a prelude to the vacation rental giant's advertising foray in the big game:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsjeEZs53Eg
In the video, you'll learn how HomeAway itself was secretly created to save family vacations from overcrowded, over-priced hotel rooms, and that the company is involved in the government's cloak and dagger Ministry of Detourism, although HomeAway acknowledges that may be a fib.
The Ministry's online strategy, it is revealed, is to use HomeAway as its portal.
You can click on a button in the press release and become of Facebook fan of the Ministry of Detourism, which navigates you to a HomeAway Facebook page.
It's a great marketing strategy for HomeAway not merely to pin all its hopes on the pricey Super Bowl ad itself, but to try to get a viral campaign going early well before the game.
After all, HomeAway had issued a press release a month ago revealing that it would return in 2011 with another Super Bowl ad.
After its inaugural Super Bowl ad in 2010, HomeAway officials indicated that its website traffic rose some 500%.
For nostalgia's sake, here's HomeAway's 2010 Super Bowl ad:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY2d_8phrW8