Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?With the outbreak of COVID-19, the world put travel on hold amidst vast uncertainty, lengthy lockdowns, and an ever-changing concept of the ‘new normal.' Yet, we did not stop dreaming. Together we planned and pined for a future when we could once again journey to new (or familiar) places. When things began to open up, at last, some travelers jumped at the chance to book their next adventure, while others continued to refine their plans. Best Western® Hotels & Resorts recognized that no matter where guests were in their customer journey, now was the time to remind travelers of its caring spirit and commitment to industry-leading hospitality. The “See You Soon” campaign was designed to welcome back guests after a challenging year and invite them to make new memories with Best Western. Messaging reflected on and sympathized with the challenges of the previous year and invited travelers–whenever they were ready to venture out again–to choose one of its many locations as their home away from home. A key campaign channel was influencer marketing. Just like Best Western’s core audience, these influencers were ready to get back to traveling safely. Each influencer brought their travel stories to life by covering not only various types of properties within the brand but also the rich and diverse communities around them, like Berkeley, Savannah, Colorado Springs, and Alberta, Canada to name just a few. As part of the larger “See You Soon” campaign, these influencer videos sought to: –Amplify social reach with engaging content designed specifically for brand audiences –Revitalize bookings during the peak summer travel season –Position Best Western as a trusted travel partner amid COVID-19 concerns –Foster positive brand association with strong storytelling, differentiating Best Western from the competitive set

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)The “See You Soon” campaign served to capture customers at every stage on their path to booking. Across all channels, the campaign creative was inspiring and comforting, positioning Best Western as a caring and thoughtful hospitality partner whenever travelers chose to hit the road again. Especially with influencer content, Best Western was delighted at the results of the partnerships. Influencers produced 16 unique videos each capturing high-quality, engaging content around its diverse properties. The influencers themselves represented multiple traveler types, including family travel, Millennial travel, pet travel, and road trip travel. Though the videos were made as part of a single campaign, they will each continue to provide relevant, captivating content for some time. The videos have already proven to be successful, garnering impressive results. –More than 2 million views –Average view rate of 50.51% –Average cost per view of $0.05 Best Western is well aware of the valuable role influencer content plays and has made it a focal point of their marketing strategy. As the “See You Soon” campaign continues to grow and evolve, Best Western looks forward to partnering with these and other content creators to develop more videos that combine property information and destination inspiration hand together for a well-rounded and appealing story.

Budget: Please include total budget vs. total actual cost. How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?Due to exclusive contracts and other confidentiality, the exact budget of the influencer video series cannot be disclosed. As part of the “See You Soon” campaign, it was factored into the campaign’s budget that supported an integrated marketing plan, which drove meaningful revenue for Best Western. Coming out of the disruptive challenges of 2020, the “See You Soon” campaign reflects a thoughtful strategy that optimizes a budget scaled to the current economy while providing the means necessary for recovery. The “See You Soon” campaign, including this video series, serves as a model for an intelligent and sustainable marketing strategy for a brand rebounding from lockdowns and travel restrictions–both those in the past and in the future, as the world continues to react to the ever-changing reality of the pandemic. The value of influencer marketing is clear to Best Western, and it will continue to be a part of its strategy as the travel industry recovers from the pandemic and beyond.

Project Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the project and your company efforts to demonstrate good corporate citizenship in the areas of community involvement, environmental, or socially responsible practices.

Objectives and Goals: What did organization set out to achieve in undertaking this project in CSR? What were the goals you set to measure your success?

Results: How did you measure the effectiveness of your efforts and what direct and tangible results did you achieve? Please be as specific as possible and share the full impact of your efforts in CSR.

Leadership: Please list the individual in a leadership role responsible for the project and how would you characterize their commitment to promoting corporate social responsibility in the travel and tourism industry?

Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals and audience. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?

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)

Budget: Please include total budget vs. total actual cost. How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?

Situational Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the original initiative and how it evolved as conditions changed from pandemic to recovery.

Goals: Clearly state your goals. What did you strive to achieve with this initiative and how did your goals change over time?

Results: Which of your goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the initiative?

Objective(s): What problems did the sales, marketing & guest satisfaction, or revenue optimization technology aim to solve?

Innovative use of technology: The extent to which new directions are charted or old challenges are resolved by using the technology in a new way.

Implementation & creativity: How was the technology implemented so that it was easy to use, solved a manpower problem, streamlined a function, or fueled recovery?

Results & Evaluation: How did the technologiy move the department or business foward to achieve goals, revenue or otherwise?

Goal: How did you demonstrate that you are committed to advancing diversity in your organization through your marketing?

Initiatives: Describe the promotion. What was your organization's message and how does it foster diversity? How was the target audience channel developed/pursued?

Results: Please describe how your organization was purposeful in advancing diversity through this initiative. Please describe the metrics you used to judge success. What were the forecasted and actual outcomes described in your Key Performance Indicators (KPI)? What impact did the initiative have on your organization and for your customers?

Goal: How did you demonstrate that you are committed to advancing diversity in your organization through your campaigns?

Initiatives: What was your approach to this campaign and how was the organization purposeful in advancing diversity through it? What types of data did you use to support your plan? How many locations were involved in the campaign? How did you effectively reach diverse audiences? What was the message?

Results: What metrics are you using to evaluate diversity (soft and/or hard metrics)? Were you successful at meeting forecasted goals? Was it limited to a specific promotion or across multiple creatives? What impact did the campaign have on your organization? How did this campaign change your brand’s perception amongst travelers?

Entry TitleSocial Influencer Videos (See You Soon Messaging)

DivisionDigital Marketing - Multimedia (Video, Animation) Series

CategoryDigital Marketing