Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
How does a luxury hospitality brand establish a presence on an app that is constantly evolving, with new trends and creators emerging each day, and where spontaneity and DIY aesthetics are a mark of authenticity?
This was the question we asked ourselves before launching The Ritz-Carlton on TikTok in Q4 of 2023.
In the ever-changing social media landscape, TikTok is the epicenter of trends, creators, information and entertainment. We knew that it was crucial for The Ritz-Carlton to become a part of this conversation, and that it was the perfect brand to lead in the hospitality space on the platform.
Before we could dive in, we had to zoom out. The Ritz-Carlton, known as a pinnacle of luxury hospitality for many years, needed to stay consistent with that messaging going into launch, even on a platform where polish can be seen as the enemy of authenticity.
We knew our goal was not to reinvent our point of view – to do so would inevitably feel forced and inauthentic. Instead, we sought to maintain an elevated style while still taking advantage of opportunities to be playful and reactive to trends, finding a perfect balance between the ethos of The Ritz-Carlton and the aesthetics of TikTok.
In the leadup to launch, we had to do our homework.
Our first assignment was a bit of self-reflection - what kinds of content did we already like to see and interact with on the platform? A baseline of consumer knowledge and preference would inform the kind of content we created for the brand.
Second, we looked at the wealth of content The Ritz-Carlton had created in the past — what could we use for TikTok, and how would we use it?
Third, what was our angle on the platform? How would we approach our channel to offer something different than any other travel content available?
Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)
After much research we settled on three strategies to lead our execution on the platform.
First, The Ritz-Carlton would deliver a slice of luxury escapism to its audience by publishing short aspirational content, mixing both high-production assets and low-fi handheld moments, always selected to feel TikTok-first — no perfunctory cross-posting allowed.
Second, The Ritz-Carlton would carve out content franchises that are easy to digest and aesthetically pleasing. Through our “10 seconds in'' content franchise, we could draw in users who like fast cut moments of dreamy locations. Through our “5 Spots to Make Memories” franchise, we could offer deeper information, sharing where to go and what to do in a city for consumers seeking more from their travel. Lastly, through our “Art of” videos, we could showcase the brand in what we do best — our craft and service.
Third, we also knew that our Q4 2023 launch needed a smart paid social strategy to be seen. We amplified our content to both a new generation of luxury consumers on TikTok as well as our traditional luxury consumers, with 60% of the users being next-gen and 40% being traditional.
With all these pieces in place, The Ritz-Carlton joined TikTok in late 2023. By following our strategy, what did we achieve?
The results from our emergence into the world of TikTok? Over 40 million views, 20k new followers, and an average 11% FVR (Focused 6-second View Rate) and $.05 CPFV (Cost Per Focused View). Top performing posts reached 18% FVR, exceeding benchmarks by 50%. Speaking to the strength of our luxury hospitality point of view on TikTok, our engagement rate ranged from 6-10%, beating channel benchmarks by 2-3.5x through compelling content choices that drove our audiences to interact. Our audience reminiscing on cherished travel moments or looking forward to adventures ahead has always been a high point of The Ritz-Carlton on social, and we were thrilled to see this carried through yet again on a new platform.
Return on Investment: How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?
The ROI for launching and maintaining a TikTok for The Ritz-Carlton channel has been extremely positive. In addition to achieving important KPIs with a somewhat modest promoted budget, our content strategy on the channel has paid impressive dividends.
For example, our lo-fi “Art of” video series has been able to generate hundreds of thousands of views, hundreds of comments, and tens of thousands of shares and engagements on a purely organic basis — valuable results on an increasingly important channel where few luxury hotel companies have yet to establish a consistent presence.
With our presence on TikTok, The Ritz-Carlton has opened new possibilities: to engage more deeply with luxury audiences, and to build new inroads to the next generation of luxury consumers. As we continue to follow our successful strategy, we are excited to share our unforgettable moments and #RCMemories captured around the world with a captivating perspective.
Entry Title
The Ritz-Carlton - TikTok
Division
Digital - Social Media/Social Networking