HomeAway.com Super Bowl Campaign a Huge Success; Ad Featuring the Griswolds from 'National Lampoon's Vacation' Drives Record Traffic to Site

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- HomeAway, Inc. – the world's leading online vacation rental marketplace – today announced that consumer visits to its website HomeAway.com were up by more than 500 percent on the day following the airing of its Super Bowl commercial based on the 1980s comedy “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”  In addition, the commercial generated one million incremental page views on HomeAway.com immediately following the airing of the ad.

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The 30-second commercial reunited actors Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo in their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from "National Lampoon's Vacation," and aired as a mock movie trailer, encouraging viewers to visit HomeAway.com to see a short film based on the original movie.  

In the "Hotel Hell Vacation" mini movie, Clark surprises Ellen with a romantic second honeymoon before meeting up with their son Rusty and his family for an extended vacation.  In classic Griswold family tradition, they run into plenty of travel mishaps along the way.  The spot was created by Publicis in the West and directed by award-winning director Bryan Buckley.

"With so many people starting to plan their spring break and summer vacations, now was the perfect time to launch this campaign, and the Super Bowl was the perfect venue for reaching literally millions of consumers to tell them about the benefits of vacation homes that can be rented through HomeAway," said Brian Sharples, founder and chief executive officer of HomeAway®.  "We're thrilled with the fact that so many people have already come to HomeAway to check out the film about the Griswolds, and we know that the microsite – with its additional videos, interactive game and consumer contest – will continue to attract consumers to our site in the coming months."

HomeAway.com Asks Consumers to Tell Their Hotel Horror Stories for Chance to Win Up to $40,000 in Prizes

As part of a national contest on HomeAway's "Hotel Hell Vacation" microsite, consumers can share their stories of hotel horrors in the form of a text, photo or video entry for the chance to win one of four $10,000 family vacations at a HomeAway vacation rental.  

Between now and March 2, 2010, participants may enter any of four themed categories, including:

• "Outrageous Hotel Bills," where they can share their experiences with ridiculous hotel fees – from pricey phone and Internet charges to unexpected energy usage fees
• "Wish I Had a Kitchen," in which they can explain why hotel rooms can be miserable if you happen to be a traveler who missed a meal en route
• "Cramped Hotel Quarters," where they can share how the lack of space in a hotel room can limit the hotel experience
• "Other Hotel Woes," in which they can share any other hotel horrors they've experienced over the years

The public is invited to vote on the stories they think are the worst hotel horrors between March 2 and March 9, 2010.  The 10 entries with the most votes in each of the four categories will be reviewed by a panel of judges consisting of Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and Brian Sharples, who will select one grand prize winner in each category.  Winners will be announced on or about March 16, 2010.

The official registration and entry form and complete contest rules are available at http://Vacation.HomeAway.com.  The contest is open to legal residents of the United States and Canada, excluding residents of Quebec, who are 21 years or older at the time of entry.

'Hotel Hell Vacation' Microsite Invites Consumers to Play Interactive 'Griswold Getaway' Game

A proprietary, free video game available through HomeAway.com also invites visitors to try their hand at stacking luggage on top of the Griswold's famous Wagon Queen Family Truckster.  As luggage falls from the sky, players have to grab and stack the different items while avoiding flying obstacles that can knock the luggage off the top of the car.  

Players, and the Truckster, journey through five tricky levels (including a stop at Cousin Eddie's house) to the final pay-off at a spacious vacation rental.  Players may share the game with friends through e-mail and Facebook on the microsite.

Through a promotional licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, the company has use of the "National Lampoon's Vacation" property.

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

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About HomeAway, Inc.

HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, representing nearly 430,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout 120 countries.  HomeAway offers an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations, as well as full kitchens and extra amenities such as private pools.  In addition, the company makes it easy for owners of vacation rental properties to advertise their rental properties and manage their 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; and HomeAway.es in Spain.  For more information, please visit www.HomeAway.com.

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

SOURCE HomeAway, Inc.