Holiday Inn is launching an integrated campaign, running across paid, earned and owned media, to boost awareness of its sponsorship of London 2012.
Reported to be costing upwards of £5m, the campaign breaks on 12 March and runs across TV, outdoor and radio, as well as having a substantial digital element.
The Holiday Inn chain, part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), aims to use the initiative to promote the fact that the group is housing more than 17,000 athletes in the Olympic Village – a facility that it is managing for the duration of the Games.
The creative features several Olympic hopefuls using Holiday Inn facilities and is fronted by three main Team GB stars – BMX world champion Shanaze Reade, windsurfer Nick Dempsey and Paralympic table tennis champion Will Bayley.
The aim is to demonstrate how the brand’s service culture helps guests relax, be themselves and perform – whether you are an elite athlete, a business traveller or a leisure guest.
It is spearheaded by a 30-second TV spot, which will also run in cinemas across the UK later in March. The creative is fronted by Read, who is shown relaxing, doing her own unique things in a Holiday Inn hotel such as having three pillows and eating extra portions at breakfast.
Outdoor work features Olympic athletes in domestic, hotel-inspired environments. For example, Dempsey is shown practising surfing on a bed sheet in a hotel room, while Bayley perfects his table tennis skills with a hairdryer.
The radio work also features athletes voices and is running across the Absolute and talkSPORT networks in April.
There is also a Facebook initiative within the campaign, which includes video, images and sponsored stories.
The work, developed by McCann Manchester, operates under the tagline ‘We’ve been chosen to help run the Athletes’ Village at London 2012… 17,000 athletes. Six weeks. One home.’
Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are the Official Hotel Services Provider to London 2012 – a Tier Three London 2012 commercial partner.
The company is providing the organising committee with additional capability and expertise in the accommodation sector, supplying experienced personnel to assist in the planning and operation of the Olympic Village.
Within IHG’s LOCOG deal, which was first announced back in June 2009, 65% of the chain’s available rooms across its 35 London hotels will be exclusively for Olympic bookings. The company says that 85% of these rooms have now been filled.
Comment:
Providing a smooth customer experience for athletes, spectators and dignitaries throughout their time at the Games is obviously a challenge for any Olympic organiser, so the global expertise of Holiday Inn is one key to the smooth running of the project as the Games creep ever nearer.
Indeed, it has supplied employees to work with the LOCOG’s Accommodation and Protocol teams in the lead up to the Games in 2012.
The deal was originally part of Holiday’s Inn’s £600m relaunch project.
Andy Cosslett, CEO, IHG said: “It is perfect timing that being selected to welcome guests from LOCOG and its partner organisations to our hotels comes in tandem with our relaunch. Just like the world class sportsmen and women who will stay in the Olympic Village, we’ll bring our own world class team to Stratford to make life as easy as possible for the athletes so they focus on the task in hand – competing and winning medals.”
Links:
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