The campaign, which will appear on television, radio and in print in the US, was created by McKinney & Silver. It stars the Roaming Gnome, a two-foot tall, red-hatted character described as hailing from Great Britain, who writes to his owner Bill from his travels such as cliff-diving in Mexico and skiing.
Travelocity has trailed the advertising with a three-week teaser campaign where Bill searched for his gnome through cinema ads, posters and classifieds. Online activity drove traffic to a dedicated , where they could report sightings.
Susan McLaughlin, vice-president of marketing for Travelocity, said: "With the Roaming Gnome as the central figure of this campaign, we are highlighting Travelocity's no-surprise philosophy when it comes to the entire travel shopping experience, while also allowing consumers to witness the wonder of all the fantastic places he sees, all made possible through Travelocity."
McKinney & Silver, based in North Carolina, won the Travelocity account in October last year from the Texas agency Richards Group, which did not repitch for the work.
"The Roaming Gnome is a character that we believe consumers will come to love and embrace," David Baldwin, executive creative director for McKinney & Silver, said. "He is a lens that allows travellers to share in his enthusiasm of seeing all of these magnificent places for the first time, and he is a great medium for sharing Travelocity travel stories."
The UK campaign for Travelocity, created by Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, features the travel presenter Alan Whicker. It breaks this week. Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy took over from St Luke's, which created the memorable "competing for you" ads starring a host of camp flight attendants armed with numerous double entendres.
Travelocity lags behind Expedia in the online travel market. This campaign is the biggest in the company's history.
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