Interactive graphic introduces first major global comms program this year

PORTLAND, Ore.― Did you know dancing on the beach is popular in Brazil, while shark tolerance is highest in Italy? To launch Expedia.com’s Summer Sales event, the company recently partnered with CMD, Oregon’s largest multidisciplinary marketing agency, to create the 2012 Flip Flop Report, a fun and interactive infographic showcasing global beach trends.

No matter where you live, the desire to escape summer swelter for a breezy, beach destination is a worldwide movement. The nature of the research and interactive graphic of the Report helped it gain attention in the media, attracting multiple tier-one media outlets with more than 100 placements appearing worldwide in the first week after its release.

Using colorful illustrations to rank and compare key pieces of research, the CMD team produced an infographic that is easy to navigate, visually stunning, and fun to share.  The Summer Sale campaign also features a Facebook quiz and a series of family-oriented city guides about beach habits as well as additional strategies for connecting travelers with vacation deals.  The comprehensive data in the 2012 Flip Flop Report was culled from 8,000 people in 21 countries.

Expedia.com is an exciting new addition to CMD’s robust client roster. Sarah Keeling, director of public relations at Expedia.com, praised the new partnership, noting, “The Summer Sale is the biggest, most critical event of the year for most of our sites around the world, and CMD’s work for us in the digital and social space helped engage customers to bring them into our site in a fresh, creative way.”

She added, “We needed an execution partner, but what we got was an agency that truly cares about our business and about producing rich storytelling for our brand.”

In the coming months, CMD will continue to support Expedia.com in its 2012 global communications efforts through a variety of traditional and digital marketing initiatives. You can access the full Flip Flop Report at http://www.expedia.com/flipflop.

“This is simply another great example of how CMD empowers top tier brands through cutting-edge digital marketing. It showcases our agency’s technical, creative and social media savvy, and the many ways we generate value for our clients by producing the high quality creative work they expect from us,” said Phil Reilly, CMD president.