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A focus on travel destinations that highlight nature, architecture, or locale with zero to minimal focus on people.
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Settings are not just static backdrops. They should enhance the story and depth of the message.
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Environments should provide a sense of perspective, scale, and global culture, giving viewers a sense of what it's like to visit other parts of the world.
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Viewers should feel transported to the special moments and places shown in the imagery.
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Photography should not be western-centric but show many different perspectives and settings from all over the world.
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Photos of locations should never be culturally insensitive or inappropriate.
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Avoid selecting locations that are obvious tourist photo-ops , but rather places that provide a fresh perspective of the beaten path.
Tone of voice helps us bring to life our character, our personality and our culture. It’s how we show up in the world. Through word choice and writing style, we can express who we are as a company.
So, who are we?
If you work at Expedia Group, then you know us. Because you’re one of us. You engage with your team mates, your friends and your leaders at the start of the day and at the end of the day, on good days and on bad days.
You know Expedia Group is not just another global company. We’re a special blend of techies and travelers, with bright minds and big ideas. We look out for each other. We love office snacks. We really love swag. We are obsessed with data. We want to make travel an amazing experience every time for everyone. Our tone of voice can bring this to life.
We don’t need to start ‘speaking corporate’ just because we’re suddenly writing an email to 20,000 people instead of 10 people. It’s not who we are, and it’s not how messaging really resonates.
1
Unafraid to be human
We keep it real. Regardless of context, we speak peer to peer, always aiming to sound like humans. It takes courage to resist using corporate ‘speak’ as a crutch and even more courage to put truth first.
2
Respectful of the reader
We don’t talk down to anyone. Ever. We give our readers credit for intelligence and resist over explaining. We put our trust in them and hope for trust in return.
3
Casual not corporate
We’re not a bank! We bust out our sense of humor when we can, because life is too short not to be playful every now and again. It’s OK to put our personality out there.
4
Animated
We get excited – sit on the edge of your seat, typing a million miles a minute excited. Get us talking about a topic we love (especially travel or tech) and get ready to be caught up in the energy we’re giving off.
Adapting tone of voice
Tone doesn’t stay constant. It needs to flex to the situation, the message and the audience. We need to make common sense choices about when and where to dial it up or down.
So what does "good" tone of voice look like?
Human at the core
i.e. A message from our CEO
Speaks peer to peer
i.e. Careers at Expedia Group
Keeps it real
i.e. Our vision statement
Assumes basic knowledge and
gets to the point
i.e. eIT emails
Taps in to travel love
i.e. Social media posts
Speaks to character
Unafraid to have a little fun
i.e. Newsletters
Speaks to character
i.e. Life at Expedia Group blog repost
Playful, excited and a little cheeky
i.e. GIFs & Graphics
Infused with energy and excitement
i.e. Branded moments
Breaks the script
i.e. Signage
Acknowledges the truth
i.e. Covid-19 Resources
