Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
In anticipation of the busy 2022 holiday travel season, Super 8 by Wyndham, one of the world’s largest economy hotel brands and trusted roadside companion, was looking for a splashy campaign to drive media headlines and reach a new generation of road trippers, while engaging the franchise community of Super 8 hotel owners across the country.
As the holidays approached, Super 8 concepted, created and executed an unexpected product launch that captured the attention of the brand’s target audience (“Road Warriors”) and consumers at large, ultimately inspiring them to book a trip with Super 8.
We launched a limited-edition candle collection, Scents of the Open Road, featuring eight scented candles that smelled — collectively — like an epic road trip. The eight scent combinations were designed to provide an experience that evoked the feelings of the open road.
Available for a limited time, the candles sold out in minutes through Shopify and left travelers wanting more. The campaign caught the attention of media and consumers alike, driving organic social chatter and headlines across national news, food & bev, travel, radio and broadcast media.
The scents names, descriptions, and essences were specially curated to evoke memories of road trips past, and spark an appetite for consumers to make travel plans with Super 8:
? Snack Time – Smokey, savory beef jerky, the perfect road trip snack.
? Pit Stop – Glorious gasoline, the fuel that keeps the journey going.
? Roam Free – A windows down, spirit of the open road kind-of feeling.
? Brain Freeze – Thirst-quenching cherry slushie, a sweet cup-holder treat.
? Lite Bite –Every gr8 morning starts with a little something to get you started.
? Morning Jolt – Fresh ground coffee, for those get-up-and-go kind of days.
? Tucked In – Crisp, clean linen, essential for a super night’s sleep.
? Fresh Feels – Fresh and reinvigorating, like a hot shower after a long drive.
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)
Candles sold out in minutes online during initial offer. Following the high demand, a second run was produced and put for sale, which sold out just as fast. Later, the candles would be spotted on sites like Ebay for for more than 400% their original price.
In addition:
- 60+ earned media placements including The Washington Post, Food & Wine, and Forbes plus iHeart Radio affiliates, FoodSided and TripSavvy as well as top DMA broadcast stations like KTLA.
- 700M+ impressions.
- 100% message and hero image pull through.
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?
This campaign exceeded the goals outlined above, surpassing all brand benchmarks.
Entry Title
Super 8 by Wyndham - Scents of the Open Road
Division
Public Relations/Communications - PR Campaign Consumer
Category
Public Relations/Communications