Whitepaper
%20(1).webp)
Despite a strong brand and global reach, trivago had almost no media presence in Germany—a problem many other companies face. In our whitepaper, we show how we took trivago from an "invisible" brand to a genuine media presence in just six months.
With a strategic PR agenda focused on CEO positioning, data-driven stories, and relevant topics, we secured over a dozen top placements in leading business and consumer media. This case study offers valuable insights and practical tips on how to use PR as a strategic channel to drive visibility, trust, and relevance.
Perfect for anyone looking to leverage PR as a real business driver. Read it for free now and learn the strategy behind the success.
Viel Spaß beim lesen.
trivago is one of Germany's most well-known digital brands. After difficult years marked by shrinking revenue, a halved workforce, and a plummeting stock price, the company has turned things around: profitable again since late 2024, with a clear focus and a lean cost base. Our task: to make this comeback visible in the leading media. Or, as CEO Johannes Thomas puts it: "We are only at the beginning of our comeback."
Why the story needed to be told: While Booking.com and Google Hotels were regularly featured in news and podcasts, trivago had been flying under the radar in Germany for years. Although there was some coverage (including via a US agency and occasional mentions in German regional media), the turnaround and strategic realignment had not yet achieved the necessary reach in business and financial media.
Our approach: Earned media with an editorial agenda—earnings as an anchor, clear core messages regarding the turnaround, CEO positioning, robust data analysis, and relevant travel trends. The goal: create presence, build trust, and demonstrate leadership.
The result (6 months): over a dozen high-quality placements, including in WirtschaftsWoche, Capital, Business Insider, ntv, WELT, and the OMR Podcast. The comeback story and profitability were contextualized in leading media, and visibility for the brand and management—as well as trust among applicants and investors—increased measurably.
trivago has been on the market since 2005—founded in Düsseldorf, operating in over 190 countries, and listed on the NASDAQ since 2016. As an independent hotel price comparison platform, the company uses a cost-per-click model to direct users to booking providers like Expedia or Booking.com.
The communication setup before our collaboration was lean: agency support in the US market and sporadic presence in German regional media. However, the next step required consistency and impact in leading media: scalable leadership positioning as well as nationwide and international visibility—especially for the comeback story.
Market pressure didn't help: Google Hotels was prominently integrated into search results, and competitors like Booking.com appeared more frequently in news and podcasts. In short: trivago's visibility was disproportionate to its market position.
That had to change.
Together with us, the trivago communications team formulated three core goals:
On this basis, we developed a PR strategy that consistently focused on earned media. Genuine coverage in leading media outlets instead of paid advertising or mass-distributed press releases.
"Many people think of campaigns or events when they hear PR. Ultimately, it's about trust – and that is built through smart stories, clear messages, and good timing."
Adriana Hofer, Senior PR Consultant & Team Lead at getpress
From quarterly figures to strategic tech innovations: together with trivago, we developed an editorial agenda that interlinked seasonal topics such as earnings, CEO stories, AI innovations, and travel trends. The focus: relevance, timing, and reach.
Our PR strategy relied on high-quality media relations, targeted specifically at business, financial, and consumer media. Together with trivago, we prioritized topics that would both spark journalistic interest and support business goals – a classic win-win strategy.
Target group focus: Our communication was aimed at investors, tech talent, and travel-savvy consumers. To achieve this, we prioritized media outlets such as Handelsblatt, WirtschaftsWoche, Capital, Spiegel Online, and relevant podcasts.
Earnings Day: We placed the return to profitability at the center – with clear core messages (What enabled the turnaround? What are the current priorities?) and reliable data points. This turned raw figures into a comeback story that genuinely interested business journalists.
CEO positioning: We actively placed Johannes Thomas, an experienced media spokesperson, in the business press and on podcasts. By the way: Johannes started his career as an intern at trivago. Yes, from intern to CEO. Sounds like a LinkedIn post, but it's real. The perfect foundation for a relatable story.
Discourse over features: Instead of pitching features, we focused on content regarding travel trends, AI strategies, and post-COVID consumer behavior. These topics not only strengthened trivago as a brand but also initiated relevant market discussions.
"PR is at its best when it doesn't look like PR. We didn't want to pitch buzzwords; we wanted to show that trivago knows what's happening in the travel market."
Karolin Gunzelmann, PR Consultant at getpress
Relevance through data: An internal analysis by trivago regarding 2025 summer bookings provided valuable insights that we integrated directly into our PR work. This market data helped us position trivago as a data-driven expert in the travel market and place their comeback story with exclusive hooks in media outlets such as Capital, stern, and Focus Online.
"getpress did an amazing job and leveraged outstanding opportunities for us in key media outlets that we had hoped for, but didn't expect to see so quickly."
Naomi Mnyamana-Jäschke, Public Relations Manager at trivago
The collaboration built upon existing communication and took it to the next level in terms of frequency, depth, and reach.
In six months, we secured over a dozen high-quality placements, and the comeback story (profitable, clear direction) reached leading media outlets such as WirtschaftsWoche, Capital, Business Insider, ntv, Welt, and many more.
Especially cool: podcast appearances such as WiWo Chefgespräch as well as Die Stunde Null and OMR, where CEO Johannes Thomas was strategically positioned.
SEO visibility? Significantly increased. Brand awareness? Measurably improved. Target audience trust? Tangible. The PR work quickly gained structure and impact. Instead of isolated mentions in trade media, we achieved presence in leading media outlets—with placements in headlines or leads rather than as footnotes. We secured strong podcast placements and engaged in conversations with relevant journalists. Trust among internal stakeholders also grew. PR was recognized as a strategic channel—no longer a side project.
We now also manage trivago internationally as their PR agency—in Germany, the UK, the USA, Italy, and Spain. And yes: we are fans of blowing our own trumpet when it’s deserved. Things are going well. And we’re bursting with a little bit of pride.
"Five countries. One team. One client that is known worldwide. I could burst with pride for Karolin, Anna-Lena, Alina, Sofia, and Adriana. [...] The best part: trivago trusts us so much that they keep entrusting us with more markets. That only happens when you deliver results and work as true partners."
Anne-Marie Struck, CEO at getpress
The big takeaway: Even well-known brands need PR—targeted, trust-building, and focused on leadership. Relying solely on past recognition risks losing your authority in the market over the long term.
What was the actual problem? trivago had everything—brand, market, product—but lacked presence.
What did we want to change? More visibility. More trust. More relevance.
How did we achieve it? With a clear PR strategy, data-driven storylines, personal connections, and impeccable timing.
What were the results? Over a dozen Tier 1 placements in six months, ranging from WiWo to the OMR podcast.
How do we measure it? We don't just look at the numbers; we focus on the quality of the placements—citation density, SEO backlinks, strategic thematic fit, and tone. In short: whether the right content is reaching the right audiences in the right media.
The trivago case shows how companies can regain visibility with clear goals, media-friendly storylines, and the right PR partner by their side. What matters is not the volume of mentions, but their quality, relevance, and strategic impact. This is also something not to be overlooked for AI search engines. But more on that another time. ;)
Many communications leads face similar challenges: well-known but not present. Visible but not positioned. The way out of this dilemma is consistent, strategic PR. If you can't handle it alone, you need partners who understand the media, think strategically, and build trust.
Let’s talk
©
0
getpress GmbH
%20(45).png)
).png)
%20(45).webp)
