A 1979 song classic and Vrbo vacation homes come together in a new ad celebrating college football traditions 

Today Vrbo®, the title partner of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and official travel sponsor of the College Football Playoff (CFP), launches its first series of bespoke TV ads for the college football season. The films were produced in collaboration with Anomaly LA and celebrate the ways Vrbo private vacation rentals bring football fans and families together for the annual rollercoaster ride that is the college football season.  

In a recent survey, Vrbo found that nearly 60% of college football fans travel regularly during the season to attend games,¹ and demand for Vrbo vacation homes in some of the most passionate college football towns typically more than doubles during the regular season. Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Norman, Oklahoma; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, are among Vrbo’s most in-demand destinations during the college football season.² 

“There is no better way to spend game day together with your family or chosen fan-mily than at a Vrbo private vacation rental,” said Michele Rousseau, SVP global brand at Expedia Group. “Fans who want to feel like every away game is a home game have the privacy and space to share game day traditions and celebrate the season together.” 

Vrbo’s TV films include 60, :30, and:15s spots that will air beginning September 2 throughout the regular and post-season, including the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and CFP National Championship presented by AT&T. The ads were filmed on location at notable college football stadiums, towns, and Vrbo private vacation homes and include appearances from fan-favorite mascots Brutus Buckeye and The Oregon Duck. Flashes of recognizable college football sights like the Vol Walk cut with newer traditions happening in private vacation homes are set over the blood-pumping marching band sounds from the 1979 Fleetwood Mac classic “Tusk.” The campaign also includes on-air integrations across ESPN platforms, including ESPN talent Marty Smith, and in-venue branding facilitated by LEARFIELD – the media and technology company powering college sports – at seven top football schools: Texas, Alabama, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Tennessee and Oregon.  

As part of its season-long campaign, Vrbo kicked off a search for its first “Fan-mily in Residence.” One winner and five of their chosen friends and family (aka fan-mily) will get paid to spend 10 days during the postseason together at some of Vrbo’s best private vacation rentals for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day in Glendale, Arizona, and the 2024 CFP National Championship on January 8 in Houston. 

Vrbo enters its second year as title sponsor of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, which includes fan activations, digital and social media, content, in-stadium exposure and inclusion at other year-round Fiesta Bowl Organization events. 

For more information on how to apply for Vrbo’s Fan-mily in Residence, follow Vrbo on Instagram or visit www.vrbo.com/see/fanmily.