2. Introductions
Marc Swearengin – GM, Schematic Austin
Nick Worth – President, Schematic
Tony Weber – SVP, Digital Strategy
Chris Polychronopoulos – Senior Art Director
3. Agenda
• About Schematic
• Our Understanding
• The Acquisition Experience
• Moving Forward
• Q&A
6. About Schematic
Part of WPP Digital
400 staff with offices in the US, London, and Costa Rica
Large clients including Dell, Target, Bank of America, Nokia, and Microsoft
Strategic, creative, and technical
Known for User Interface/User Experience work
OMMA “Best Site Design and Development” Agency, 2008
7. What Makes Us Different?
At Schematic, we deliver transformative business results through
innovative marketing experiences.
We prioritize innovation because:
•innovativeexperiences get noticed and encourage engagement better
than the same old thing
•innovative production approaches save our clients money
•ina word-of-mouth, link-heavy, blog-heavy world, doing things differently
provides tremendous lift to our activities
Successful innovation requires both strategy and craft.
8. Innovation Example One: Target
Schematic has been Target’s primary interactive agency since 2006.
Strategic Insight: Target needs to creatively
combine the strong personality of their brand with
relevant and convenient shopping opportunities.
The Result: A series of technical and creative
executions that drive both brand affinity and
shopping behavior.
9. Craft: Advertising that includes real-time e-commerce opportunities,
driven by a Schematic-authored Web services layer.
12. Craft: ...and that can be leveraged in
online advertising and on
mobile devices.
13. Innovation Example Two: Logitech
Schematic is Logitech’s digital AOR.
Strategic Insight: Logitech’s products are better
together as part of a digital lifestyle; not just
commoditized accessories. Logitech.com, where
searches land and where the product research
takes place, can build that connection.
The Result: A site that communicates the Logitech
digital lifestyle within an e-commerce context.
14. Craft: A site that feels like Flash, but is all HTML, making it a perfect SEO
environment, and easier to localize.
15. Innovation Example Three: Microsoft
Microsoft has been a client of Schematic’s for the past six years.
Strategic Insight: The best way to market
Microsoft is through communications that use
their technologies in compelling ways.
The Result: Innovative experiences that show the
power of Microsoft technologies in scalable, high-
visibility environments.
16. Craft: A way to bring the social positioning of Windows7 to life, using MS technologies.
18. HomeAway has struggled to define an
acquisition strategy that consistently drives
people to subscribe
19. Renting a home is a personal business
• Homeowners generally have a choice of renting their homes directly (67%)
or hiring a professional management firm (45%).
• Owners want to maintain control; of their guests, businesses and homes
• Owners value traveler interactionyet would like to bemore efficient and
professional in their communications and reservation-related tasks
• Many owners are cost-conscious and wary of expenses which would cut into
their revenue.
• 69% are employed in either full-time or part-time positions, and would value
some help in managing the rental process.
• Owners tend to skew older, and the majority are female
20. As their match-maker, it’s personal for you, too
A subscription to HomeAway is…
Considered
Competitive
Based on Trust
A Long-Term Commitment
23. The flirtation
First of all, you need to get out there
You want to go places where your potential matches might be
And of course, you want to look good while you’re doing it
29. Get to know each other
Now that they’re interested, you want to impress them
You want to take them some place nice. Someplace where you can get to know
each other.
Show them how great you are, and to prove it you’re willing to take it slow
30. Separate Paths on the Home Page
Prominent space
on home page for
owners
Preview of listings
with featured property
list
36. Staying in touch
This is more than just a fling. You want to build a relationship.
That means you need to reach out. Stay in touch. Understand their needs.
Remind them you’re interested. Let them see how good you’d be together.
But listen to them. Be conscious of what they want to hear.
Make them want more.
38. Adapt your message over time
Communication Progression
Day 1 Day 6 Day 14 Day 28 Ongoing
Quarterly
Thank You / Subscribe Today Targeted
Take the – Begin Renting Messaging
Final Step Now Message
Subscribe Today Act Now: Listing
– Price Message About to Expire
41. Fulfilling on the promise
Once you’re together, you need to keep your relationship fresh
You have to innovate every day to keep the spark alive
Be yourself. Be authentic. Strengthen the relationship by creatively showing
what you can offer.
55. The Next 4 Months
Schematic proposes a multi-track approach that includes both short-term solutions
and long-term approaches to improve Owner acquisition.
Messaging Strategy Framework
We will conduct an assessment of Home Away.com and VRBO.com messaging and
develop strategic recommendations on how an evolved messaging approach can aid
Owner conversion. This revised messaging approach will focus on site, email and
DM vehicles.
Evaluate and Redesign the Owner Conversion Path
We will conduct a user experience evaluation on the Home Away and VRBO site.
Wireframes
Based on the user experience analysis, Schematic will develop wireframes that
visualize an optimized user experience.
56. The Next 4 Months
Usability Testing
We will conduct Usability testing on the wireframe visuals to elicit feedback from selected
members of our target audience.
Creative Comps
Schematic will apply the Home Away branding and design the new Owner path pages
based on the wireframes.
Functional Specification
We will then develop a functional specification document that will provide guidance to the
Home Away and VRBO site development teams on how to implement the new Owner
path pages.
Email Program
Schematic will concept, design for and manage an email program consisting of multiple
email executions that leverage the evolved messaging approach.
57. Ongoing Improvements
As part of this engagement, Schematic will deliver a set of recommendations for
enhancements to the Owner value proposition and product set. In partnership
with HomeAway, we would identify and prioritize initiatives which could be
scoped out as incremental projects over the next 18 months.
These projects will vary in size and duration based on specific requirements and
dependencies. In general each prioritized program will include strategy, feature
definition, and integration, with the appropriate combination of support from
technical, user-experience, and design resources.
Schematic will work with HomeAway, VRBO, or the appropriate business unit to
plan and deliver these efforts on a timeline that aligns with internal needs and
market conditions.
Incentivize owners who haven’t purchased or have lapsedDrive urgencySeasonal or event-based contentHighlight new or updated local listingsKey facts about local traffic and bookingsTimely reminders of upcoming eventsContextualize cost of waitingConsistent branding