• by Tanya Gazdik , April 5, 2017

InterContinental Hotels Group’s Holiday Inn brand is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign focusing on the thoughtful touches that make its guests smile. 

Themed “Smiles Ahead,” the campaign was developed in collaboration with Ogilvy & Mather, Weber Shandwick and Mindshare. Both a 15-second and 30-second version of the spot will appear on network TV and English-language cable, Spanish-language cable and across the Holiday Inn brand’s various digital platforms, including the brand’s Joy of Travel blog.

The campaign follows the brand’s three-year “Journey to Extraordinary” campaign, which ran from 2014 to 2016 and celebrated the unique journeys of the many guests who walk through the doors of Holiday Inn hotels each day. Following global consumer research, the brand developed “Smiles Ahead” to focus on service.

The TV spot features a young girl traveling with her family and her stuffed teddy bear, which the hotel staff treats like a special guest, putting a smile on the girl’s face throughout her stay.

The song featured in the commercial, “You’ve Got a Smile,” was written and performed by Nashville artist Daniel Ellsworth, whose band, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes, was named by Esquire magazine as one of “15 Bands to Watch” following their latest album release. The song will be released soon via Soundcloud, Facebook, Bandcamp and YouTube as well as on Spotify and iTunes.

The Holiday Inn brand has been on a journey over the last few years, introducing a new guestroom design, as well as new on-property experiences and food and beverage concepts, said Eric Lent, vice president, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands, Americas.

“With this ongoing evolution comes a continual opportunity to showcase to travelers the welcoming, full-service experience our hotels offer,” Lent said in a release. “We developed the ‘Smiles Ahead’ campaign to bring these benefits to life and to highlight how Holiday Inn hotels go above and beyond to give our guests even more to look forward to during their stay with us.”