Austin-based leader in online vacation home rentals looks to grow brand and vacation rental category
AUSTIN, Texas, October 24, 2011 — HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY) the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, announced it has selected fellow Austin-based company, GSD&M, as its advertising agency of record.
HomeAwayâ selected GSD&M to create a long-term integrated platform for the HomeAway.com brand to drive awareness and consideration for vacation rentals and further evolve its marketing communications strategy.
“We’re excited to work together with GSD&M to help make HomeAway synonymous with family vacations and to bring to life the benefits and capture the experiences only found in vacation rentals,” says Brian Sharples, HomeAway chief executive officer. “GSD&M has already shown a true commitment to a long-term partnership during the evaluation process and we love that their headquarters is only four minutes away by foot. It’s going to be a great Austin-based partnership.”
“We’re honored to have been selected by HomeAwayand we look forward to helping them build on their success by creating a lasting brand,” says Duff Stewart, President & Chief Executive Officer of GSD&M. “HomeAway has grown immensely in a short period of time and we hope to help them sustain that momentum through effective and memorable campaigns.”
Development of a 2012 campaign begins immediately, and HomeAway looks to have new creative in market early next year.
About HomeAway, Inc.
HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY), based in Austin, Texas, is the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, with sites representing more than 625,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout more than 145 countries. HomeAway offers an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. The company also makes it easy for vacation rental owners and property managers to advertise their properties and manage bookings online. The HomeAway portfolio includes the leading vacation rental websites HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es in Spain; AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil; and HomeAway.com.au in Australia. In addition, HomeAway operates BedandBreakfast.com, the most comprehensive global site for finding bed-and-breakfast properties, providing travelers with another source for unique lodging alternatives to chain hotels. For more information about HomeAway, please visit www.HomeAway.com.
About GSD&M GSD&M is an advertising agency celebrating its 40th year of helping some of the world’s most iconic brands win by articulating and activating their core purpose – the difference a brand strives to make in its customers’ lives. GSD&M is part of Omnicom Group, Inc. (NYSE: OMC). For more information, visit GSDM.com.
