• by Tanya Gazdik , June 21, 2011

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is launching a $20 million ad campaign highlighting the brand's three-year, $5-billion-dollar rebranding effort.

The "Meet You There" campaign uses playful taglines and imagery to showcase key elements of the recent makeover, including the Link@Sheraton experienced with Microsoft, Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance and the enhanced Club Lounge.

Six executions broke June 21 in newspapers including USA Today and The New York Times. Magazines ads join the mix in July with August issues including Conde Nast Traveler, Wired and Time.

Online digital ads will appear July 11 in top news and lifestyle Web sites such as NYTimes.com, CNN.com, Frommers, BlogHer and TripAdvisor. The campaign will also feature mobile rich media ads as well as custom partnerships with Xbox and CBS Sports.

Traditional and digital out-of-home advertisements will be seen in airports throughout the country via motion activated digital touchscreens. Travelers who walk by will be prompted to engage with the digital billboard.

Sheraton has never launched a campaign with digital assets like "Meet You There," says Hoyt Harper, global brand leader for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. The effort is aimed at reaching new conquests as well as re-engaging with former guests, he adds.

"The campaign is reinforcing Sheraton's key elements that have already struck a chord with guests, in addition to introducing the amenities to potential guests in an engaging way," Harper tells Marketing Daily.

The target for Sheraton's ad campaign is both the leisure and business traveler ("b-leisure"). "The different visuals depict guests in Sheraton's signature socially designed spaces like Link@Sheraton and its Club Lounges, which are used by both type of traveler," Harper says. "The communal elements promote Sheraton's new 'Meet You There' motto and encourages coming together no matter the reason for the stay."

Sheraton worked with Publicis Groupe agencies Razorfish and the Kaplan Thaler Group to develop the campaign's strategy, digital and traditional creative elements.

"Wi-Fi, Mai-Tai, Say Hi" shows guests coming together, blending business and leisure, while "Body for Business" reflects the importance of health and fitness while on the road. "How to Hotel" shows how road warriors seek the benefits of the brand's signature Club Lounge experience during their travels.