Dive Brief:
- Kayak is poking fun at millennial travel anxiety in a new brand platform and tagline, “Got That Right,” according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
- Instead of focusing on the destination, the travel search engine is shifting the focus to how stressful trip planning can be, especially in the age of travel influencers and economic concerns. The marketing push is supported by research cited in press materials showing that 66% of consumers say booking travel makes them feel stressed.
- The campaign, which was created with Rethink, is aimed at consumers between the ages of 25 and 45. It will run on various North American channels, including TV, CTV, online video, out-of-home, social, digital and audio channels.
Dive Insight:
The travel search engine’s new brand platform aims to put simplicity back into travel planning and cut through the noise of content focused on travel tricks and trips that is popular on social media. “Got That Right” shifts the focus from the destination itself to making the consumer feel better about their travel decisions.
“Our research underscores the reality that travelers don’t need more information, they need reassurance,” said Carolina Montenegro, senior vice president of global brand marketing at Kayak, in a statement. “As travel search has become increasingly crowded and commoditized and people are bombarded by reels, reviews, stories and more — information overwhelm is real. ‘Got That Right’ is about giving travelers the reassurance that they’ve made the best choice, so they can avoid second-guessing.”
The effort includes two 30-second hero videos and two vignettes made for social media. In “Big trip: Small screen” a group of millennial-aged friends encourage one member to book a trip on his phone, poking fun at the fact that millennials tend to feel more comfortable making big purchases on the computer rather than a mobile device. In the associated 15-second social vignette, “Celebration,” the group rejoices after booking a trip on their phone via Kayak.
In “Momfluencer” a mom speaks in an influencer-like language after scrolling through influencer travel advice to plan a trip for her family. After one of her children passes her a phone opened to Kayak, she returns to normal. In the corresponding vignette, “Phone Freedom,” the family throws their phones out the window and onto the street, causing chaos. The idea to poke fun at influencers is supported by data cited in press materials showing that half of Americans feel overwhelmed by online travel advice.
Travel, especially international travel, has been on the decline over the past year, with 43% of Americans who travel internationally saying they traveled abroad less in 2025 than a year prior, according to YouGov data. Personal reasons were the number one cited reason for cutting back on travel at 32%; economic concerns ranked number two at 28%. The rising cost of travel was the main reason for 18% of respondents. In an effort to address these concerns, finding the best deal is emphasized heavily in “Got That Right,” with Kayak’s price comparison tools a major focal point.
In October 2025 Kayak launched “AI Mode,” which combines the platform’s data with ChatGPT to deliver better and more relevant results ahead of the holiday travel season. Booking Holdings, Kayak’s parent company, saw a Q4 2025 revenue of $6.35 billion, a 16.05% year-over-year increase, according to an earnings transcript. The company has focused on rolling out agentic AI across brands to help personalize the consumer experience, according to executives on the call.
