Hilton breaks 'formulaic approach' in travel ads with global marketing push

Believe it or not, it matters where you stay and Hilton wants you to know that. Its latest global marketing campaign celebrates its first global brand platform "Hilton. For the Stay" which identifies what has been missing from hotel marketing - the hotel stay.

"Hilton. For the Stay" places the hotel front and centre, elevating the role and importance of the stay at a time when lodging advertising is a sea of sameness, featuring overused destinations, cliché walks on the beach and generic descriptions of travel, the hospitality chain said.

Done in collaboration with TBWA\ChiatDay New York, the new ad campaign titled "It Matters Where You Stay" introduces the brand platform, using humour to push against some of the common but unspoken pitfalls of travel, boldly poking fun at what can go wrong when booking or on a trip.

The creatives also take a fun, relatable tone, breaking from the formulaic approach that Hilton has seen across the industry while highlighting the benefits Hilton offers to make guests feel cared for. These include pet-friendly travel as well as the choices available in the Hilton Honors app and Confirmed Connecting Rooms by Hilton.

What inspired the brand platform?

Leveraging TBWA\'s disruption methodology, the team uncovered that the hospitality industry has become almost entirely focused on the destination instead of the stay itself. At the same time, consumer research uncovered “the Stay,” and being cared for, as the crucial elements that can make or break any trip. Hence, Hilton is doubling down on its brand platform which aims to permeate nearly every consumer touchpoint, from broad-reaching consumer advertising through the travel planning process and the guests’ stay with Hilton, as well as post-stay.

The campaign includes TV, audio, social media, print, and OOH, spanning 13 commercials and bespoke social executions. It has launched in the US and will be followed by a launch in the UK and select Asia Pacific and Middle East markets. Commercial director Matt Aselton of Arts & Sciences was also involved in the production of the campaign.

To extend the brand platform, Hilton will leverage social media, experiential and influencers. Across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, Hilton will engage in conversations around travel and trip disasters by helping travellers have a better stay. Hilton has also partnered with familiar voices on social media to bring “Hilton. For the Stay” to life. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Hilton for information on the Asia Pacific strategy for the campaign.

In one of the featured TV spots, “Haunted,” the brand pokes fun at what can go wrong when booking a vacation rental – depicting a family showing up to a hilariously creepy property that wasn’t exactly as advertised.

“Confirmed Together” zeroes in on a unique Hilton feature that addresses a very real pain point of family travel, the importance of securing connected rooms at the time of booking.

The campaign also features the heiress Paris Hilton who stars in the spot "Extra Storage". According to the company, Paris Hilton's role in the campaign is inspired in part by the legacy of her family.

In addition to Paris, actress Catherine O’Hara lends her voice to the campaign, with TV commercials first airing in the US on 25 July and audio rolling out shortly thereafter.

CMO Mark Weinstein said that with "Hilton. For the Stay", the it is more fully connecting its external customer marketing to its purpose - staking its rightful claim that Hilton owns the Stay.

"The idea of the Stay was incredibly natural to Hilton, and yet no one else was talking about it. As others tout the generic virtues of travel, minimize the role of the hotel and the hotel team members, and romanticize the destination, through our platform and the campaign it inspires, we’re reminding travelers that ‘It Matters Where You Stay’ and boldly affirming ‘Hilton. For the Stay.’," he added.

“In developing the campaign, we were inspired by showing the realness of travel; the tensions, the hardships, the too-high expectations. It goes against convention in the hospitality category and it’s an exciting space for the brand to own,” said Amy Ferguson, chief creative officer, TBWA\ChiatDay New York.

Previously in 2021, Hilton launched a campaign titled "Travel The World" for Asia Pacific to inspire consumers to explore the wonders of their home countries and discover local alternatives that match the experiences at some of their favourite international destinations. The predominately digital campaign came amidst travel restrictions, as well as complexities in navigating regulations for international flights during the pandemic. 

Separately, Paris Hilton teamed up with fashion retailer boohoo in February to advertise during her virtual fashion week. Done on Hilton's virtual island on Roblox titled "Paris World", it marked boohoo's first foray into the metaverse. 

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