Mark Weinstein

How Hilton took on Airbnb and other competitors with its ‘For the Stay’ rebrand

The hotel chain wins Creativity Awards Best Rebrand

In an era when so many travel brands feature pristine beaches, soaring mountaintops and other glorious destinations, Hilton got real with its first-ever global marketing platform. The effort, called “Hilton. For the Stay,” successfully differentiated the more than 100-year-old chain from a slew of new competitors—including Airbnb—by spotlighting… Show more

How Hilton took on Airbnb and other competitors with its ‘For the Stay’ rebrand

The hotel chain wins Creativity Awards Best Rebrand

In an era when so many travel brands feature pristine beaches, soaring mountaintops and other glorious destinations, Hilton got real with its first-ever global marketing platform. The effort, called “Hilton. For the Stay,” successfully differentiated the more than 100-year-old chain from a slew of new competitors—including Airbnb—by spotlighting tangible features, such as connected hotel rooms.

The debut campaign, themed “It Matters Where You Stay,” comes from TBWA\Chiat\Day New York and has included Paris Hilton, a great-granddaughter of Hilton founder Conrad Hilton.

“Say what you will, but she’s the original influencer,” Amy Ferguson, chief creative officer of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, told Ad Age last year.

Ads included subtle shots at Airbnb, such as one with a home rental that looked quite “different online” than in real life.

Other rebranding elements include a three-note melody to echo “For the Stay” with a visual that depicts a hotel room door opening onto Hilton’s logo, “signifying the pivotal moment of relief that comes when beginning a stay,” according to TBWA.

They took “an old, stodgy brand” and made it “fun and fresh,” said one Creativity Awards juror.

https://adage.com/article/special-report-agency-list-creativity-awards/creativity-awards-2023-best-rebrand-hilton/2486241 Show less

Honored as one of Forbes’ 50 entrepreneurial CMOs

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethmatlins/2023/04/17/the-2023-forbes-entrepreneurial-cmo-50/?sh=4f8831cf4d35#anchorTag-4-642d92f79537d26d5ff9aa87

Now more than ever, companies must live their values to remain viable in the market, and to reinforce their connections to customers, partners, and employees. This leader has demonstrated that the obligations of corporate citizenship are reflected in their day-to-day business decisions, which prioritize social and environmental responsibility and corporate accountability.

https://thecmoclub.com/news/2022-cmo-awards-winners

“The Billboard ‘Branding Power Players’ report describes the achievements of 83 executives from the live sector, consumer companies, branding agencies, talent agencies, management companies, the media, digital firms, publishers and record labels.”

“Weinstein broadened Hilton’s music-driven partnerships with the Lawn Days summer concert series, which launched in June 2018. Thanks to a partnership with Live Nation, Hilton Honors members can score a pair of concert tickets to catch artists… Show more

“The Billboard ‘Branding Power Players’ report describes the achievements of 83 executives from the live sector, consumer companies, branding agencies, talent agencies, management companies, the media, digital firms, publishers and record labels.”

“Weinstein broadened Hilton’s music-driven partnerships with the Lawn Days summer concert series, which launched in June 2018. Thanks to a partnership with Live Nation, Hilton Honors members can score a pair of concert tickets to catch artists like Rod Stewart and Charlie Puth for as little as 10,000 rewards points. “A one- or two-night stay at one of our hotels could [get you access to] hundreds of shows across the U.S.,” says Weinstein. ‘Making music more accessible was really exciting for [us].’ It also led to a 200% year-over-year increase in redeemed experiences by customers (a sign of their connection to the Hilton brand), with 95% of those people redeeming for the first time. ‘It’s nice when you can actually quantify the impact’ of a campaign, says Weinstein.”

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8510551/billboard-branding-power-players-2019-list Show less

Awarded for “Music Happens Here” partnership activation with Live Nation and other strategic partners.