{"podcast":{"title":"Ad Age Marketer's Brief","slug":"ad-age-marketer-s-brief-244230","podcast_index_feed_id":244230,"rss_url":"https://marketersbrief.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://www.adage.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/e/e/9/b/ee9bcad56c482c0c/AA_MarketersBrief_podcast_art.jpg","author":"Ad Age Podcasts","episode_count":395,"summary":"Marketer's Brief helps marketers stay ahead of what's changing—and decide how to respond. Each episode focuses on the ideas, shifts and strategic tensions shaping marketing right now, from how leaders are thinking about growth, platforms and culture to how they're making trade-offs in real time. Conversations led by Ad Age editors and reporters surface patterns worth paying attention to and ways of thinking that can influence decisions at work. Subscribe to sharpen your judgment and spot what matters early.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-15T18:19:24.000811+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ad-age-marketer-s-brief-244230"},"episode":{"title":"Why data, not AI, is driving local travel marketing decisions, with Vrbo's VP of marketing","slug":"why-data-not-ai-is-driving-local-travel-marketing-decisions-with-vrbo-s-vp-of-marketing","published_at":"2026-07-08T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ad-age-marketer-s-brief-244230/why-data-not-ai-is-driving-local-travel-marketing-decisions-with-vrbo-s-vp-of-marketing","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ad-age-marketer-s-brief-244230","url":"https://marketersbrief.libsyn.com/why-data-not-ai-is-driving-local-travel-marketing-decisions-with-vrbos-vp-of-marketing","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/marketersbrief/Why_data_not_AI_is_driving_local_travel_marketing_decisions_with_Vrbos_VP_of_marketing.mp3?dest-id=1162928","summary":"As marketers reach for AI to explain every new capability, it's easy to overstate its role. Helen Melluish, VP of marketing at Expedia-owned Vrbo, says the hyperlocal targeting behind this summer's travel campaigns runs on traditional data science and machine learning—not AI. Vrbo tracks booking trends by origin and destination market, then shifts local messaging and media spend within a matter of weeks, if not days, once a route or region shows momentum, no AI overlay required. For Melluish, that speed matters this summer: as gas prices push travelers toward drive-to destinations and away from early bookings, Vrbo's data lets the brand chase the shift in real time. AI still plays a role elsewhere at home-rental brand, scaling creative production and handling routine customer service, but it isn't what's driving this particular decision. Dig deeper ~ How brands are approaching summer travel with high gas prices and inflation ~ Expedia Group's CMO on AI ~ AI Marketing Playbook: How marketers are really using AI ~ How brands are investing in local marketing—and why it's so important","meta_description":"As marketers reach for AI to explain every new capability, it's easy to overstate its role. Helen Melluish, VP of marketing at Expedia-owned Vrbo, says th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1304,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ad-age-marketer-s-brief-244230/episodes/why-data-not-ai-is-driving-local-travel-marketing-decisions-with-vrbo-s-vp-of-marketing/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ad-age-marketer-s-brief-244230/why-data-not-ai-is-driving-local-travel-marketing-decisions-with-vrbo-s-vp-of-marketing.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}