• by Aaron Baar , May 2, 2009

Country Inns & Suites looks to appeal to the sensibility of women -- and some men -- to expand its budgetary brand appeal during these times of belt-tightening.

"When we did our [consumer] research, we saw we were skewing slightly female," Aurora Toth, vice president of marketing for the Minneapolis chain, tells Marketing Daily. "We are a small brand, and obviously our competition has deeper pockets. Hence, we need to target more steadily."

A new national advertising campaign, with the tagline "I love this country," showcases the hotel chain's level of service and ability to cater to many different types. The first of two television commercials, called "Ted," targets women business travelers.

In the commercial, a businesswoman talks about all of the amenities she likes at the Country Inns & Suites, such as the free Internet, business center and convenient location. And she particularly loves "Ted," the clerk who helps her with all of these things.

"The campaign was generated by the feedback we get in the hotel," Toth says. "Consistently, the message is that [our customers] are surprised at the level of service they get. It plays back to how we make them feel and how they feel about us."

A second spot, "Family Bonding," shows a woman who extols how Country Inns & Suites knows exactly what she's looking for in a family vacation. As she's shown relaxing by the pool, working out in the fitness center and luxuriating in a tub, her husband and two children are racing go carts, playing in the pool and gorging on hamburgers without her.

The television commercials will run on female-skewing programming such as "American Idol," "Oprah Good Morning America" and the "Today Show," as well as cable networks such as the Food Network and HGTV. Similarly themed print ads will run in parenting, home design and family-oriented magazines. Online advertising will run on sites such as Priceline.com, Orbitz, Trip Advisor and USA Today. The company is also working on adapting its own Web site to be more mobile-friendly and delivering promotional specials through mobile devices and services, Toth says.

The message for the value-oriented chain couldn't come at a more opportune time, as families may have to weigh summer vacation plans against saving money, Toth says. "We know the American consumer is not going to give up their family vacation, but they may shift how they take those vacations," she says. "We think we have an opportunity to introduce our brand to a whole new group of customers."