Priceline and Travelocity Battle it Out on MySpace

The battle between online travel Web sites has entered the social networking realm. Priceline.com (www.myspace.com/thenegotiator) has followed Travelocity.com's (www.myspace.com/roaminggnome) lead and created a MySpace account. One has to ask, which company will win the MySpace popularity contest? After reviewing both pages, I've done a little comparison as to which company has the best MySpace presence and which is the Online Travel King:

MySpace Spokesperson. Travelocity has employed their icon, the "Roaming Gnome," to represent them on MySpace. Priceline brought in their obvious choice, William Shatner, a.k.a, "The Negotiator." The Roaming Gnome is cute, a little goofy, but adorable in his own right. The Negotiator is rough, tough and ready to rumble. Who has the best spokesperson? Hmm, tough to choose a winner between a ceramic lawn ornament and an aging television icon, so let's look at other factors...

Popularity contest. As I write this, the Roaming Gnome has more than 12,500 MySpace friends while the Negotiator has 6,400 and growing. Going by the numbers, the Roaming Gnome obviously wins.

Attitude. While the Negotiator doesn't disclose his age on his MySpace page, he's a young babe compared to the 300-year-old Roaming Gnome. The Negotiator shows off a whole lotta confidence with a dash of arrogance. He charms the ladies and wins over the guys. In a funny video, Shatner declares, "The Travelocity gnome is a stupid little icon, it doesn't have half the charm I have."

Travelocity's Roaming Gnome on the other hand, is a bit more subtle in his approach. He's that eccentric uncle you always look forward to seeing at Thanksgiving and always wonder why he never got married. He's innocently searching out the best travel deals for his MySpace friends. Who earns the "A" for attitude in this MySpace battle? Definitely the Negotiator (he scores big points for being comfortable with his "more to love" body type in his MySpace profile).

Goodies. This is the fun stuff, the freebies MySpace friends can download. The Roaming Gnome's giving his friends cell phone ring tones narrated in his wimpy British accent. My fave is, "this is your phone in a cave...this is your phone in a sleeping bag..." goofy stuff, check it out. Instant message icons, skins and MySpace wallpaper featuring the Roaming Gnome can be downloaded, too. Of course, the Roaming Gnome is promising travel deals to all his MySpace buddies. And, if you want your own gnome, Travelocity has an online store to purchase all sorts of gnome merchandise.

The Negotiator has groovy freebies, too. MySpace users can download ring tones, screensavers and wallpaper. Those who sign up as a friend have a chance to win a tropical vacation. My fave freebies are the downloadable images of Shatner that I can incorporate into my own vacation photos. "We had a lovely time! He's such a gentleman," I can imagine saying to my friends as I show them my vacation shots with the Negotiator.

Who's got the best goodies? Going with the Negotiator on this one. Love the bragging rights to having him in my vacation pix.

And the Online Travel King is...In the MySpace battle between Priceline and Travelocity, which online travel company should be crowned the Online Travel King? Domestically, I'm saying Priceline. The Negotiator exemplifies the characteristics associated with the United States: strong, bold and a little too full of himself. Looking globally though, nobody likes a bully. Travelocity and the genteel Roaming Gnome definitely have world-wide appeal. So what's your take?