• Brandweek, Tuesday, June 13, 2006 12 PM

Holiday Inn, long associated with families on vacation, wants more business travelers to stay at its hotels. To achieve that goal, the company is introducing a new, $33 million marketing effort targeted to businessmen in Generation X and baby boomer age groups. The core of the effort is a $20 million print and TV campaign featuring three coworkers named Zack, Marcus, and Ted that focuses on the hotel chain's business trip amenities. In one of eight spots, novice business traveler Zack breaks hot tub etiquette by sitting too close to coworker Marcus. Another execution, showing off in-room workspace, has Ted the Boss sitting amid lit candles while admiring "nature's public speaker." Then he and Zack mimic the calls of a humpback whale playing on his laptop. Digitas, New York, provides online support with a microsite showcasing the three characters and their quirks. The company said the campaign is necessary because competition in the category is at an all-time high. "The hotel category probably has more television broadcast than it's ever had," said Mark Snyder, senior vice president-brand management at Holiday Inn. "So as competitors have pushed their spending and broadcast, the challenge for Holiday Inn is to keep up and surpass that so high awareness turns into some positive movement for the brand in terms of trial and more market share."

Read the whole story at Brandweek »