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Google / Expedia - unlikely….. but they do work closely together

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

Google have a number of account managers who specialise in travel. One of their previous employees, on their public Linkedin profile, has the following:

  • Senior account manager - Travel - For Google (January 2003 to September 2007) 
  • Lead Relationship Manager for Expedia Inc
  • Managed all aspects of the Expedia - Google relationship for Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Expedia Classic, and Expedia Corporate
  • Work with different Expedia teams to build out an effective Advertising strategy on Google as well as partnership opportunities to help drive additional revenue to Expedia
  • Coordinate efforts with Global teams to share US successes to all Google Account Managers who work with Expedia Inc Co’s
  • Appointed Global Lead for Expedia relationship, spoke at Expedia’s Global Marketing Summit and held a Global workshop at Google’s International Travel Summit
  • Built out the “Power 16″ marketing plan that is currently what Expedia’s entire Search Marketing program is based on 

That last point I find interesting. It would appear that Google have devised Expedia’s entire search marketing program (well that is what is says!). Yes I know that, if you spend enough as an advertiser, you get help….. but upgrading help into letting Google devise an entire search marketing plan is quite a bold commercial step.

If you want to find the profile yourself, Google it….

This particular individual, according to their profile, is no longer working for Google.

Read further coverage about Expedia / Google at the base of this post - Would your business cope if Google stopped sending you (free) traffic?


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3 Responses to “Google / Expedia - unlikely….. but they do work closely together”


  1. April 3rd, 2008 at 12:16 am
    ronald

    with google now owning doubleclick as well (which manages ads for a much larger share of the high traffic high profile sites than google that masters the long tail) I dread to think what scope a google marketing plan can now have

  2. April 3rd, 2008 at 8:32 am
    Round-up: Google acquisition rumors, Apple 3G iPhone coming » VentureBeat

    […] Intel bullish on mobile Internet handhelds: The world’s biggest chip maker said more than 25 companies have signed up to use its low-power Atom microprocessors in upcoming “mobile Internet devices.” The new category of wireless broadband-enabled devices will combine the features of Internet-enabled computers and navigation units in a handheld form factor. The first devices will start appearing in late May and early June in China, South Korea, and Japan. The chips consume anywhere from 0.65 watt to 2 watts. That means they could be serious challenges to low-power processors from Arm Holdings, which has a virtual lock on processors for mobile devices and cell phones. Hence, the so-called MIDs might be Intel’s Trojan Horse for making an assault on the market for mobile device chips. The latest iPhone rumors: The AT&T CEO dropped a hint once again that Apple will launch a 3G version of its iPhone on AT&T’s network within months.  That was the second time he said that and it was enough to set off an argument among analysts about whether the signs of an imminent 3G iPhone introduction are already there because of an iPhone shortage at Apple stores.. Apple, meanwhile, passed Wal-Mart as the No. 1 music retailer in the U.S. Google acquisition rumors multiplied in the past 24 hours as word spread that it was going to buy travel site Expedia. Susquehanna Financial Group’s market intelligence team started that rumor. The consensus currently seems to be that the rumor is bogus, but we’re not completely ready to rule it out. Travel is a major vertical that Google hasn’t moved into yet. And back in 2005, there was some talk  about Google starting up a travel site of its own that would tie into Google Maps and Google Earth. Travel e-commerce blogger Alex Bainbridge posted that Google had a high-level executive dedicated to working with Expedia from 2003-2007 and that Google may have developed Expedia’s search marketing program. And TechCrunch reported that Google might buy the Skype phone service from eBay. Word is that eBay has been shopping Skype for months. […]

  3. April 4th, 2008 at 10:38 am
    » Was war…

    […] Einige amerikanische/ englische Blogs berichten über ein Gerücht, dass Google an Expedia interessiert sei. Keine Ahnung ob es sich hierbei um einen verspäteten Aprilscherz handelt oder ob was Wahres daran sein könnte. Hier die Berichte: Marketing Pilgrim, TourCMS. In diesen Kontext passt auch die Nachricht, dass Jens Uwe Parkitny, Expedia Deutschland Chef,  Expedia verlässt. […]

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Comments for this post will be closed on 31 July 2008.




This blog is about travel ecommerce with a focus on topics of interest to tour operators & travel companies

Alex has previously started up a small tour operator (5 staff) and also worked for leading "dot coms", airlines, hotel chains and tour operators advising and project managing web, ecommerce and reservation system projects.

Alex is available for travel ecommerce consulting via Travel UCD. Travel UCD also operates TourCMS - a web based reservation system for small tour operators

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