Contrary to current state of the economy, the Luxury Collection, an upper-market brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is in the process of updating their advertising to lure new guests.
Sitting alongside sister campaigns for the Westin and the Sheraton, created internally, the new print and online campaign is about life:
“Life is a collection of experiences. Let us be your guide.â€
A tagline, officially developed by the brand’s former agency, Atmosphere BBDO (now Atmosphere Proximity — part of the Omnicom Group), the campaign will feature still-life photographs and nuances that contain framed snapshots of a wide variety of Luxury Collection hotels and memorabilia.
In a conversation with the New York Times, Luxury Collection global brand leader, Paul James, said that while the company,
“has not seen any immediate change in demand,”
due to the fluctuations in the stock market, they believe that it’s still
“the right time to talk about the Luxury Collection, to remind people about our great destinations. We will keep our eye on the market, and if we see any change in our business, at that time we’ll adjust our strategy.â€
With photographs by David Prince, a five-page set of executions will feature different hotels in the Luxury Collection.
For example, the advertisements for the golf resorts contain framed photographs of the Equinox in Vermont, the Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa in Dubai, and the Turnberry Resort in Scotland.
These destinations are pitted next to typical golf gear such as a golf trophy as well as a small wooden boot model to represent the activities available at such a resort.
See this advertisement below:
the new advertisement
Another example of an advertisement in the campaign is one meant to promote the general brand itself.
It features all types of hotels in Mexico, Italy, India, the United States and Peru.
This compilation features souvenirs and other decorative items that include a clock, starfish, coral, a glass of wine and other items that would make someone think “resort.”
According to Prince, the campaign “is about the trigger points that stimulate your emotions and your memories, and the moments that inspire us when we travel.â€
He said that while most hospitality luxury advertising tries to
“present the big picture, your room, your bedding, where you’re going to eat,â€
but, the new Luxury Collection campaign is, rather,
“about the personal touches that make a hotel great, the elements that resonate and inspire you.â€
These adverts will run this fall in the Financial Times, Departures, Condé Nast Traveller UK, ForbesLife, Robb Report, Bentley Magazine and Luxury Travel Advisor.
In addition to these set of print adverts, online banner versions will also run.
A nifty tidbit that is individual hotels within the Luxury Collection will also have the option to customize the advertising campaign by inserting photographs of their choice into the frames inside of the overall brand’s advertising.
We really like this idea because truly will touch upon “the elements that resonate and inspire you” ideal that Prince believes the campaign is all about.
After all, no one knows a place as well as a local.
According to the NYT, hotels in Mauritius, Portugal, Argentina and Greece have opted to do this.
The estimated budget for the global print campaign is $400,000 USD, while the budget for online global advertising is at $300,000 USD.
These figures do not include the budgets of the individual hotels opting to participate in the campaign’s customization feature.
If within their budget, we really think more brands of the 75+ included in the Collection should take parent company-Starwood up on their offer.
Unique customization is what building brands and cultivating a sense of loyalty is really about.
No one said it better than David Ogilvy,
“A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.”
It was his belief that,
“Advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them.”
This is why we really believe that that option for customization is truly the difference between a stay on a whim, and well-planned out vacation.
**Source. All images via Starwood Hotels & Resorts.**
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Sasha H. Muradali runs the Little Pink Blog (formerly Little Pink Book PR). She holds a B.S. Public Relations from the University of Florida with a minor in Dance (’07) and an M.A. International Administration with a concentration in Communication from the University of Miami (’08). She loves Twitter (@SashaHalima), Harry Potter and the colour pink. Get a copy of the Little Pink Blog delivered to your Kindle and find us on Facebook.
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