How trivago used HeyGen to simultaneously localize TV ads in 30 markets

For nearly two decades, trivago has helped travelers around the world compare prices to find the best hotel and accommodation deals. With a presence across more than 190 countries, and 53 localized websites and apps available in 31 languages, the platform provides access to a wide range of accommodations, solidifying its position as a leading choice for travelers seeking competitive lodging options.

As a global travel platform, trivago’s brand must speak to audiences all over the world—literally. João Laureano, Creative Director, and Jean Pierre Marsala, Motion Designer, shared that localizing their ads for 30 markets simultaneously would require months of production and delivery time to find one person who speaks the language for multiple markets.

Then, they discovered HeyGen, which helped them save months in video production and allowed for simultaneous localization of their ads. With HeyGen, they became more efficient and were able to quickly enhance the company’s mission of being the obvious choice for travelers searching for a hotel through their global advertisement, Mr. trivago.

The Challenge

A major component of trivago’s marketing strategy is dedicated to creating targeted TV ads.

Jean’s and João’s teams collaborate closely on these projects from the initial concept through production to the final cut. While they worked with production companies in the past, most of their work is done in-house.

Their teams faced a significant challenge in finding a time and cost-efficient way to localize ads in 30 markets, all with different languages and dialects.

To do so, they needed to find one person who could speak multiple languages and appeal to every single market. This process involved costly, time-consuming research and significant time spent in post-production editing the finite details of their accents, which increased overall costs. Despite utilizing voiceover effects, the final product did not effectively convey the message trivago envisioned.

They wanted to keep one person as the trivago brand face across all languages and needed a platform that would simplify this lengthy process.

After testing multiple generative AI platforms, trivago found HeyGen.

The Solution

Using HeyGen’s technology, the trivago team abandoned the costly plan of searching for a single actor who could meet all their niche and atypical requirements. Instead, trivago found a one-stop shop software solution that offered everything they needed and more.

In the beginning, the teams faced a fixed deadline for commercial delivery that couldn’t be postponed without incurring additional time and financial costs. Confident in HeyGen’s ability to manage the production, trivago decided to utilize the technology for the first time.

The HeyGen team proved to be responsive and adeptly prioritized all necessary changes, successfully navigating different timezones and facilitating timely submissions.

Despite numerous mid-production adjustments and an extremely tight timeline, the trivago team took a chance on HeyGen, and the outcome was a success.
‍

The Results

Cutting time and costs

After using HeyGen for less than a year, the impacts on both cost and time have been significant.

• The technology has cut post-production time in half, saving teams an impressive 3-4 months on average.
• Advertisements were successfully localized in 15 locations in three months—an achievement that wouldn’t have been possible without HeyGen.

Utilizing HeyGen’s text-to-speech feature

• Text-to-speech enables trivago to quickly localize content for target markets around the world.
• In less than a year of utilizing HeyGen, trivago has amassed TV ads 30 regions.