A Growth Engine for Europe

Web Reservations International (WRI) provides technology, distribution and marketing solutions to budget accommodation providers worldwide. “Google has been fundamental to our business from very early on,” says Otto Rosenberger, Chief Marketing Officer at WRI. “Google AdWords is the product that powered the growth of our flagship brand Hostelworld.com. Today, WRI operates around 5 million keywords globally, and we target all 43 languages. AdWords allows us to expand the reach of our marketing in a big way, especially via remarketing,” explains Otto. “We have a small in-house team and regularly use the global expertise of Google’s account managers. In addition, Google AdWords is key to expand into new markets, like South Korea.” For Otto, the fact he can demonstrate the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of AdWords is also crucial. “It’s important to remember that, before Google, marketing was part art, part science,” says Otto. “Being able to demonstrate ROI to the Board is crucial. So, it’s not surprising that a large part of our budget is spent on Google products. Measuring success of mobile ads effectively allowed us to move into mobile advertising at a fast pace.”