Marriott is ahead of the curve. Rather than trying to outdo Airbnb, the world’s largest hotel chain has discovered a more effective solution to vie for the attention of millennials. Marriott is boosting its visibility by engaging with the right platform.
Marriott Rewards has officially entered the wonderful world of Snapchat. The award-winning loyalty program premiered the first video in its four-part series, “Six Days, Seven Nights,” on March 30. This series will showcase Marriott International’s portfolio of top properties and highlight program perks such as free Wi-Fi and room upgrades.
“There are a million reasons to travel and thousands of great places to visit, and we have incredible properties in just about any destination our guests want to go,” says Amanda Moore, senior director, social & digital Marketing, loyalty, at Marriott Rewards. “Six Days, Seven Nights introduces the Snapchat audience to the places, properties, people and program benefits that fuel our members’ experiences while traveling the world.”
A win-win scenario
Marriott has used Snapchat in the past for influencer takeovers, Snap Ads and geofilters. However, this is Marriott Rewards’ first venture into generating content for the platform. And it seems that the company has concocted the perfect blend of influencer marketing, paid ads and Snapchat’s Spectacles, which are wearable glasses that record—and Snap—from the user’s viewpoint).
This is also an exciting new venture for Snapchat. Although media partners such as IGN and The Food Network have been providing the platform with valuable episodic content, Snapchat has always had the potential for a wider scope. Marriott’s new use of the platform creates endless possibilities for introducing different brands to sponsor takeovers or even establish their own channels.
Star influencers
Each episode of the vertical video series, or “snapisode,” will be three minutes long and partially filmed using Snapchat Spectacles. The series showcases unscripted perspectives from four top social media influencers, including Tom Jauncey of Beautiful Destinations, a creative agency with one of the world’s biggest followings on social media. These media influencers will explore various destinations, cultures and relevant Marriott properties.
“We only have a limited amount of time to capture your attention, so we felt like these influencers have such a strong presence, they’re camera-ready [and] they have a built-in audience to really bring those brands to life,” says Moore.
The Snap-series will take viewers to Berlin; Seoul, South Korea; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and New York City. Every snapisode will begin with an influencer stating their “mission” for the upcoming week. The influencer will then strive to accomplish this goal throughout their segments. Hotel staff, locals and channel audience members will make appearances as they help the influencer accomplish their mission.
In the first snapisode of Six Days, Seven Nights, influencer Levinson tries unfamiliar German food in Berlin, such as currywurst and schnitzel. The series will continue to air regularly on Marriott Rewards’ Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube. Each influencer will also compile a “best-of” travel list about their destination for @MarriottRewards Instagram Stories. The series will run through July.
