Situational Analysis:
Moving fast for business or enjoying time away before their world ramps up again, Wingate by Wyndham hotels strive to support guests’ need for balancing work, life and everything in between so they can be ready for what’s next. With a footprint of ~164 hotels in North America, we were looking to raise Wingate's visibility and humanize the brand. Bringing to life our brand promise, Modern Life in Balance, our goal was to drive consumer engagement through relatable content and experiences.
Rationale:
Stemming from the idea of “bleisure” travel, and that work and passions don’t need to be mutually exclusive, our conceptual direction was to align with professionals who are open to extending work trips for personal pursuits. Business Insider reported that 81% of business travelers have taken trips that include personal time, and that business travel is seen less as a nuisance and more as a chance to expand horizons and for inspiration. Per Crimson Hexagon, 76% of travelers said they would extend business trips for leisure.
To deepen engagement with current audiences and expand our reach to new audiences, we set out to produce a digital influencer campaign that would demonstrate authenticity and shared values with our “bleisure” audience, who like many today juggle full time day jobs, pursue side ventures in their off hours, and leverage work trips for personal endeavors.
Key Indicators: Awareness, Engagement, Site Visits
Our Audience:
Men and woman aged 35-54 in the U.S. and Canada. Primarily suburban and rural. They have an affinity for content focused on business, fitness/wellness, travel. When traveling, they seek facilities and services that enable them to multi-task, stay connected to work, family, and friends. Though they may be traveling for work, they seek out activities to experience in the area.
The Solve:
In today’s world, travel has become more of a lifestyle than a luxury. Rather than producing a scripted commercial focused on amenities, we sought to humanize the brand and create an emotional connection with our audiences by highlighting real people with diverse stories who embody our belief that even “though you have to leave town, you don’t have to be disconnected from what makes you ‘you’.” Our intent and underlying message was to celebrate those who embrace the intricacies of modern, always-on-the-go lifestyles, and have actively found ways to interweave their passions, so that together we can empower those with similar mindsets.
Cue #ByDayByNight.
Content:
We partnered with two separate influencers who embody our brand values--balanced, connected, productive--and genuinely align with the "bleisure" profile. Kim M., art director for a well-known fashion brand, uses work trips to produce content for her lifestyle blog. Entrepreneur/former pro-cyclist who's competed in Tour de France, Ted K. travels often for his sports nutrition company, UnTapped, with his bike in tow so that he can carry on his passion for cycling. We captured Kim and Ted doing what they do best, by day and by night, as well as experiencing all that Wingate has to offer to support their needs during their travels.
Since our audience spends much of their time on social media, and are considered frequent recommenders across social networks, we rolled out #ByDayByNight via Facebook and Instagram from May to November 2019. Their experiences were told through videos, posts, Instagram Stories, Carousels, Instant Experience units.
Kim Mitchell:
Ted King:
We were thrilled to see a lift in the key metrics we had set out to impact:
