[ad_1]
There was a time when travel-related brands heavily relied on influencers to sell a fantasy. These partnerships often resulted in a Facetuned photograph of a popular figure on a sandy beach, standing in crystal-clear waters with a candy-colored cocktail. Or they could be seen enjoying a picturesque view from their fancy hotel room, perhaps quietly anticipating all the other Instagram-ready moments that lied ahead. Regardless, the center of these curated moments were rarely the brand or even the influencer themselves; it was aspiration.
And with its first international campaign, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is setting the record straight: Aspirational travel social media content is no longer the destination. Now, it’s all about highlighting real, more inclusive experiences.
The IHG brand released its newest global platform titled “Stay Human,” which centers on members of the brand’s Creator Collective. Australia’s Shayne Tino (@shaynetino) and Dan Brown (@simplydanbrown), Myrne (@myrne) of Singapore, the U.K.s Anna Whitehouse (@mother_pukka) and Tess Daly and Rei Shito (@reishito) of Japan share with viewers what they personally look for in travel content—that is, the real hotel experience, whether that refers to local fare or accessibility.
“We want our guests and our employees to be comfortable and embraced for being their most authentic selves, no matter their pronoun, skin color or body type,” said Kathleen Reidenbach, Kimpton’s chief commercial officer, in a statement. “However, we know that social media and marketing content within the travel industry hasn’t always reflected the people and experiences that truly make up our global community.”
The new work underscores the brand’s commitment to offering a more humanly connected experience for its consumers, which starts with the marketing materials it produces.
Said Reidenbach, “That’s why we are committed to diving deeper into the foundation of our Stay Human brand ethos with new brand commitments that will continue to change the way we work with creators, the imagery we share and the experiences we offer.”
Follow the trail
Kimpton based the campaign on independently gathered insights that align with other studies rendered this year: According to a survey involving 4,000 people from Australia, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., 85% of travelers want brand social media content to be more inclusive. Additionally, 84% of respondents think travel brands could do more to support a diverse set of travel creators rather than dipping into the same, nearly tapped well of travel influencers.
Overall, 76% of respondents feel that more realistic depictions of travel from content creators on social media would be more valuable than existing travel content, especially for those who feel left out of existing content due to their race, ability, age and body size. But this insight reveals a gap between what today’s observant traveler wants versus the imagery that is currently available.
This means that travel-related brands have an opportunity to tap into markets that feel left behind by including them in a natural way—especially if there’s an opportunity to flex certain amenities that support different kinds of guests.
“Stay Human” also supports new bookable hotel packages based on insights from the survey and its Creator Collective, which the brand plans to roll out in January 2023. Alongside local experiences, the new offerings will include curated social hour menus, themed pop-up events, social media contests and more.
Creators come along
With the new global campaign comes a list of content commitments that Kimpton is pledging to honor with the implementation of its Creator Collective, including:
- Working with a diverse pool of creators across multiple brand channels while expanding its existing representation commitments to diversity in race, gender and sexual orientation to include a pledge to feature more creators, guests and models with diversity in ethnicity, religion, language, size, age and disability.
- Addressing current gaps in travel content—beginning with a commitment to present zero digital distortion of individuals and enhancing how it shares information that is critical for travelers with disabilities and ensuring all content is truly accessible to all (including requiring all Collective members to include alt-text and image descriptions on posts).
- Allowing Kimpton Creator Collective to serve as consultants to the brand for its brand content and property experiences.
- Doing away with the traditional brand-issued “creator content brief” to allow for maximum collaboration and creator empowerment.
- Mandating at least 75% of brand-contracted creators reflect diverse communities.
Hopeful travelers can view “Stay Human” on the brand’s official YouTube page.
[ad_2]
Source link
