Sarah is part of the International Brand Integration team at Expedia Group, where she helps ensure our brands connect authentically with travelers around the world. With a background in creative agencies and a passion for cultural nuance, she brings a deep understanding of how to adapt global campaigns to resonate with people locally.

In this blog, Sarah shares how her team puts the traveler at the heart of every decision. From understanding travel habits and planning behaviors to navigating language and media preferences, Sarah offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make global marketing truly local.

Sarah Firmston-Williams | Senior Marketing Manager | London, UK

Tell us about your team and your role.

My team ensures Expedia Group brands connect authentically with customers around the world by understanding what matters locally, and adapting our creative marketing to resonate better with local consumers.

We start with the customer at the center, how they prefer to travel (family trips vs. solo adventures), how they plan (one big annual trip or frequent weekend getaways), and market insights on destinations and booking preferences, which then tell us which creative approach will resonate based on cultural nuances. Then we tackle the logistics: What language or dialect do they speak? Do we need multiple languages? Will they engage better with our message during their commute or at home on their phone?

It’s challenging and rewarding in equal measure. When we get it right, the measurable business impact makes it all worthwhile.

Tell us about your career journey so far.

I joined Expedia Group a year ago from a creative agency background, where I managed global brand campaigns. Early in my career, the approach was simple, one TV ad for every country. Thankfully, marketing has evolved far beyond that! Over time, I became increasingly fascinated by how brands adapt and show up differently around the world. I gradually shifted my focus toward truly global marketing, which led me to Expedia Group. The scale here is incredible. 16 markets for Expedia alone, plus even more for Hotels.com and VRBO. Expedia Group is the truest version of a global company, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to work each day with colleagues from across the world in India, Dubai, Japan & the US.

What excites you about working in marketing at Expedia Group?

Working at Expedia Group means being at the centre of an industry that’s evolving at lightning speed. When I started my career, I never could have imagined people would use Instagram and TikTok as search engines to find their next vacation instead of Google—but now that’s completely normal. What excites me is that we choose every day to adapt our strategy, even when it’s uncomfortable, because we’re staying true to how our customers are evolving. Our job is ultimately about helping people create travel experiences that will last a lifetime, and that’s what drives everything we do. We are here to power global travel for everyone, everywhere.

What is one of the most meaningful projects you have worked on?

I was fortunate to join Expedia Group just as we began launching our new evolved campaign platform. We had an incredible suite of creative assets and needed to adapt them for 13 markets across 16 languages, a massive undertaking by any measure.What made it possible was the team around me and the wider stakeholders who are absolute experts in their fields. Learning from them made me realize we had everything needed to pull it off, and we launched over 3,000 assets globally across multi-touch point channels. This was my proudest moment, not only because of the scale, but also because it showed what’s possible when you combine great creative with deep local market expertise.

Why would you recommend EG?

The diversity of background and experience is a melting pot for learning. I’ve met some of the sharpest minds of my career at EG. People with zero ego and complete openness to both teach and learn from others. I’m also inspired by the many female leaders here, and I’ve been fortunate to find my mentor within the company.

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