When the time came to create a new content franchise for social media, The Ritz-Carlton put its focus on a staff who are second to none — the artisans and exceptional people who create its legendary experiences at every level, at each of the brand’s hotels and resorts around the world.
Why this focus for a new campaign? While we have incredible destinations and a credo and service philosophy that have led the luxury hospitality industry since 1983, our success would be out of reach without the dedicated work of first-class individuals.
The essential and exceptional nature of our people gave the content franchise its name — I am Ritz-Carlton, a series profiling the talent and commitment of Ritz-Carlton employees, and an acknowledgement that the brand could not exist without them.
Goals:
Launched in 2023, I am Ritz-Carlton uses vertical social video to tell the stories of the individuals who do amazing things daily at our hotels and resorts.
Each video shines a light on one person at one property — a window into their work, personality, and knowledge.
We wanted to create something more than just an on-the-job spotlight. Without appropriate care and thoughtfulness, we knew the series could appear perfunctory and insincere, or overly focused on the brand alone.
Our approach goes deeper, taking time for the subject’s passions, their points of view on the places they call home, and how they contribute to making guests feel special every day. Each profile is meant to inspire pride, excitement, and reveal the craft of creating #RCMemories — a human-eye-view that also connects with the sensibilities of the next-gen luxury consumer.
The natural home for I am Ritz-Carlton was on our Instagram and LinkedIn pages. The Ritz-Carlton maintains a strong presence on LinkedIn, where stories of our brand culture consistently resonate. On Instagram, a paid social campaign allowed us to maximize our reach into luxury travel and next-gen luxury audiences.
With I am Ritz-Carlton, we have demonstrated our consumers' deep interest in exploring the brand through the stories of its people.
Across eight profiles shared on Instagram and Linkedin to date, the below are some of our top-line metrics:
The campaign has also achieved a high video through play rate (VTR), approaching benchmark levels seen across Marriott International. Given the longer duration of these videos (approximately :30-:40 for each profile, versus our typical :10-:15), and their specific subject matter departing from typical evergreen hotel and destination content, this is an impressive achievement.
This series also found success on LinkedIn. Through this channel we were able to drive over 4,000 clicks – combined with our high engagement rate, this shows a desire from the LinkedIn audience to seek out our newest content and discover more about the culture of The Ritz-Carlton.
Success on LinkedIn also provides value by drawing the attention of industry thought leaders and innovators to our culture and commitment, reinforcing the outstanding level of service and talent offered by The Ritz-Carlton.
I am Ritz-Carlton has many more stories to share, and we can’t wait to tell them.
