Challenge
Booking.com’s growth had come through scale and performance marketing rather than brand differentiation. As competition intensified — especially with Airbnb building stronger cultural positioning — Booking.com needed to define what it stood for beyond functionality.
Approach
I led cross-market qualitative research across the U.S., Australia and Europe. I co-created discussion guides, led the synthesis, and identified a unifying audience insight: the Booker. Not just the desire to get the booking right, but a shared personality behind it — someone who takes real joy in planning and sees travel as an act of care.
Impact
Sharpened brand direction at a critical moment. Created a clearer strategic foundation for resonant brand-building and informed later campaign and partnership thinking across major U.S. activity.