Yatra.com ups ATL marketing budget by more than 100 per cent; repositions brand

The online travel company has also upped its BTL marketing budget by 30 per cent. Moreover, the brand has been repositioned as one that creates happy travellers.

Gurgaon-based online travel company Yatra.com is all set to get aggressive on the advertising and communication front. The company has increased its ATL (above the line) marketing budget by more than 100 per cent, and its BTL (below the line) marketing budget by about 30 per cent.

One very visible manifestation of this aggression is its latest advertising campaign, which serves to reposition the brand. Since its inception in August 2006, Yatra.com has been positioned as 'The smarter way to travel'. The new campaign, titled Creating Happy Travellers, repositions the brand as a provider of hassle-free experiences that make for a happy holiday.

This attempt is in sync with Yatra.com's continued endeavour to reposition itself from a mere ticketing brand, to an overall travel solution provider.

Pratik Mazumder, head, marketing and strategic relations, Yatra.com, speaks to afaqs! about this new stance. "We are in the business of creating happy travellers and our consumer research revealed that though people take vacations to rekindle relationships with loved ones and enjoy a sense of happiness, when it comes to actual booking, there exists a sense of trepidation and consternation. This is the irony of the situation," he explains.

Mazumder adds that given this consumer insight, Yatra.com being a service provider brand, decided to position itself as one that creates happy travellers.

The campaign, which broke on September 22, will see a two-week roll out, and will be a 360 degree marketing effort including TV, radio, digital marketing, online advertising and heavy on-ground activation. The campaign will also be extensively promoted through print, e-marketing and mailers.

"The campaign demonstrates our customer-centric approach by providing innovative solutions, delivered by highly-trained professionals," says Mazumder.

The TV commercial, created by TBWA, revolves around a nuclear family that takes a holiday package to its desired destination. Yatra.com is depicted as the force that helps make their vacation a happy and hassle-free experience.

When asked why the company has decided to turn on its turbo mode at this point in time, Mazumder informs that Yatra.com is currently on the cusp of change, given the ever-increasing volume of online users and the impending increase in the number of mobile users.

For the record, Yatra.com provides information, pricing, availability, and booking facility for domestic and international air travel, railway reservation, hotel bookings, holiday packages, buses and car rentals, along with a host of other travel services.