Accor's new global campaign plays on everyone's lockdown travel cravings

Though the COVID-19 pandemic is still causing immense difficulties worldwide, some countries that have weathered the storm and seen falling infection rates are planning to ease travel restrictions. In anticipation of the upcoming travel drive once those gates are open, global hospitality company Accor has launched a campaign featuring people enjoying traditional travel activities in the comfort of their homes.

The "Reignite the Love of Travel" global campaign includes a video that showcases activities such as taking a flight, skiing, and snorkelling, the twist being that people are only mimicking these situations at home due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The ad also namedrops the group's new ALL SAFE cleanliness programme which aims to protect guests and staff with world-class cleanliness standards and protocols.

Steven Taylor, CMO of Accor, said, "The message of our campaign came naturally as we invested to prepare for the immediate holiday season as well as for longer-term bookings. Seeing the quick business recovery in China, we wanted to do our part to reassure our guests and to reignite the travel desire.”

The ad is a clever play on a widespread meme that has popped up on various social platforms –especially TikTok – where users set up a fake flight or other holiday fun using household objects.

"During the lockdown period, we have been surprised to see so many people on social media sharing their craving for travel with such uplifting humour and creativity. In these challenging times, we believe it is part of our mission to inspire people with positivity and humour while encouraging them to reignite their love of travel.”

Additionally, the campaign is including an interesting social media element, where travellers are being invited to share their travel dreams and inspirations, which will be combined to create a montage-style travel film.

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