THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLDWIDE HOTEL INDUSTRY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Ann Bagel Storck , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : astorck @ hotelsmag . com
Nathan Greenhalgh , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : ngreenhalgh @ hotelsmag . com
Dani Friedland , New Media Editor 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
Queenie Burns , Vice President , Design 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : qburns @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com
Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com
Michelle Villadolid , Freelance Design E-mail : mvilladolid @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mary Gostelow , Adam Kirby , Oriana Lerner
PUBLISHING Dan Hogan , Vice President , Publisher 1.312.274.2221 dhogan @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman and CEO , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Eric Danziger President and CEO , Wyndham Hotel Group , Parsippany , New Jersey
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Kirk Kinsell President , the Americas , IHG , Atlanta
Alex Kyriakidis President and Managing Director , Middle East and Africa , Marriott International , Dubai
Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
Paul Sistare President and CEO , Atlantica Hotels International , São Paulo
Susan Terry Vice President Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
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NEW-WAVE
MARKETING
I
watched a racy video yesterday from the sbe Entertainment Group in Los Angeles , creators of the lifestyle SLS brand and a hip “ extended-stay ” brand called Redbury . In fact , sbe used its extensive nightclub business connections to create an integrated marketing campaign for its Redbury brand , along with Warner Bros . Music and an Australian rock ’ n roll band ( the hotel ’ s top feeder market ) via a YouTube music video shot at the Los Angeles hotel ( you can find a video marketing series at theredbury . com ). sbe ’ s marketing department used multiple social media channels to create buzz for the video and the campaign , likely its best sales strategy to better compete against the major global brands with much more extensive marketing budgets .
How successful this campaign has become I am not yet sure , but I am writing about it because it points to a bigger trend that is worthy of your attention . The video ’ s filmmaker , acclaimed photographer Matthew Rolston , made an astute comment during the accompanying “ behind the scenes ” video . He said this type of marketing effort points the way toward the future of advertising where entertainment is the medium . I agree .
I have said this before , but it is worth repeating . Catching the attention of today ’ s consumers is not easy . They are bombarded with media from every direction and device . Nothing surprises them , and getting a consumer of almost any age to pay attention to a brand , an advertisement or a message has become increasingly difficult . Taking a different approach — not unlike what sbe has done with its Redbury campaign — does perhaps point the way forward , and maybe it will save your brand from dreaded commoditization . Granted , the sbe video is a little over the top and
is geared toward a very specific demographic , but at least sbe had the guts to develop a vision of what it wants to stand for .
All of this brings me to this month ’ s issue and the second annual HOTELS Social Hotel Awards ( p20 ), which we affectionately call the SoHos . Not unlike what sbe does with its videos to promote the Redbury brand , the SoHo winners profiled this month also took a chance and perhaps similarly recognized where they needed to go right now to catch consumers ’ attention — in what is still considered a nontraditional marketing channel , social media . But in a medium that still has many marketers scratching their heads and is considered hard to quantify , social media is increasingly where you will find willing ears and eyes . And as the winners show , quantifying results is becoming less of an issue and increasingly more substantial . Social media still may be considered non-traditional for marketing , but like it or not , it won ’ t be for much longer .
Editor In Chief www . hotelsmag . com October 2013 HOTELS 5