'WSJ' Ad Pushes Puzzlers To Hilton Garden's App

HiltonGardens-Ad

As any maker of a branded app will attest, distribution is the hard part. With hundreds of thousands of apps in both iOS and Android app markets, most new apps have a small window of opportunity to move from the visible section of new entries to the more visible heavily downloaded section.

In a novel attempt to poke through the app noise, Hilton Garden Inn took to print to push its mobile offering. The advertiser pushed its new BizWords iOS app with a Bizz Buzz-themed crossword ad -- a first -- in Tuesday's edition of The Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ ad unit includes images of the app as well as a QR code that pushes the user to the app download page on their device. The puzzle was filled with clues and solutions around the theme of deciphering business jargon. Decoding jargon is the aim of the app itself, which works on both iPhone and iPad.

BizWords present the user with a wall of trending business terms, such as ROI, Added Value, KPI and Net-Net. The definitions are both informative and satirical. In addition to the definition, the app shows you a map of where the term seems to be hottest around the country and a timeline of its buzz.

But it only works if the users are hitting the buzz button to register the terms they are hearing and even input more of their own. There are points for buzzing and there is the inevitable leaderboard, as well as daily challenges. Despite the hundreds of words here, thre was the absence of "Epic Fail."

Hilton Garden Inn vice president of global brand marketing Judy Christa-Cathey says: "We know that mobile usage indexes very high with both leisure and business travelers alike, so we developed the BizWords tool to give them a platform to connect, share and have fun. All the while, we're giving a wink to the business-speak we've all become accustomed to using."

While Android dominates the smartphone market, the brand was aiming for the largest platform possible, hoping to grab both iPhone and iPad users on iOS. If the app does well, it may bring it to Android, as well. Organic in Detroit designed the app.

Hilton Garden Inn created the app as a fun but informative branding piece for travelers, since mobile indexes high for all its customers -- business and consumer. There is a link to book a room from the mobile Web or to download the dedicated booking app.

The Wall Street Journal ad is only one piece of a much larger campaign to support the app. It will be pushed on the iAd for Developers network, as an integration on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" on Sept. 26 and ads in USA Today and The New York Times.

1 comment about "'WSJ' Ad Pushes Puzzlers To Hilton Garden's App".
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  1. Eric Grenier from IJINC, September 22, 2011 at 1:56 p.m.

    You could have actually added some meat on the print to QR to download thing, but that would have required “journalism”…

    And don’t look now, but you’ve got two comments! More than you’ve had since, eh, ever.

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