More Than Rivals

Many people see Europe as a continent divided. And when a major football competition like UEFA EURO 2020 rolls around, tensions can run high and historic rivalries come to the forefront. But while things can get heated, those rivalries actually stay on the pitch. So as an official sponsor of the celebrated competition, Booking.com decided to prove it. How? With their data.

We studied all the brand’s data pertaining to the nations competing in the EURO and analyzed the relationships between them when it comes to travel – looking at the number of trips, scores, reviews and endorsements that travelers from each one of the countries left on the site after their trips within Europe – and discovered something surprising: The countries that are considered the biggest “rivals” were, in many cases, actually each other’s biggest fans.

We used those insights to create a 360º campaign, featuring a global spot, in-game bumpers and perimeter ads, social posts, OOH and full page ads in newspapers in Italy and the UK on the day before and after the final. Because they may say we’re rivals, but we know we’re friends.