In 2023 Hotels.com bid farewell to its long-standing brand mascot, Captain Obvious, and sought a positioning and advertising campaign that would re-focus the brand on travellers. Until that point Hotels.com had played within the conventions of the OTA (Online Travel Agent) category, supported by its quirky brand character. Post-pandemic, this strategy no longer delivered to the same extent, so the brand re-positioned around an inherent strength: hotel curation expertise. This shift re-built consideration of the brand, closed the gap with the category leader, brought 6% uplift in new customers, and 4% of incremental revenue.