t ’ s a commercial even Robbie Robertson would sing the praises of . It opens with the familiar first several chords of The Band ’ s “ The Weight ”; a man walks over a cup of coffee to a woman still in bed ; a Jack Russell lays on the carpet at the foot of it . The well-known hit song continues but it ’ s not Levon Helm singing ; it ’ s a rendition by Canadian folk singer Abigail Lapell , which makes sense since The Band was from Toronto . The man snatches his car keys off the nightstand and the couple — dog in tow — head for the outdoors and try , in vain , to capture the perfect

photo of their pup , who just won ’ t cooperate ( it ’ s a Jack Russell , after all ). A voice-over says : “ Today , we accomplished nothing . I mean it — not a thing . And it was kinda everything ... Life ’ s a trip . Make the most of it at Best Western .”

BWH Hotels ’ newest marketing campaign is 30-second storytelling at its maximum : compact , authentic , thoughtful — a sort of quick slow burn that illustrates the varying degrees of travel and that even the most unremarkable of moments can be the best . Other spots are indication : a harried mother leads her family of five to the

beach and ends the day back at a Best Western with her tiredout kids asleep at her side ; in another , the same family is back on the beach , only now joined by the grandparents , and upon returning to the hotel , the grandparents go to one room , the family to another . The voice-over declares : “ The key to a perfect family vacation ? Separate rooms .”

Brand marketing campaigns are meant to elicit a feeling through messaging . In the case of BWH ’ s “ Life ’ s a Trip ” campaign , that responsibility fell to Joelle Park , SVP and chief marketing officer for BWH Hotels , where she

leads global marketing , brand strategy and communications , including oversight of Best Western Rewards . Park , previously more than 12 years with Hilton , shares how the campaign , created in partnership with creative agency PMG , came about , how the messaging was chosen and how they landed on such an iconic song to pull it all together .

HOTELS : You guys nailed it with the music — a remixed version of “ The Weight .” What was the genesis of the “ Life ’ s a Trip ” campaign ? Park : It ’ s music to my ears

64 hotelsmag . com July / August 2024