DoubleTree’s chocolate chip cookie is the warmest welcome in hospitality. But what’s a hotel that’s based on warmth and inclusivity to do, when not EVERYONE can enjoy our welcome?
In partnership with Partake, Doubletree was introducing its first-ever allergy-friendly cookie. And to do it, we brought in the big guns…Cooke Monster himself.
Our goal was to spread awareness of our new offering opening up a safe, new stay option for allergy-afflicted travelers and/or parents of allergic kids.
When Millennial parents travel with kids, it's less of a vacation and more of a trip. Even in a world of bespoke rentals, hotels hold a special place in their hearts because of the comfortable and consistent experience they provide. Knowing that all the details are covered to ensure their family feels welcome allows them to relax, and DoubleTree is all about a proactive service culture that makes EVERY guest’s life easier.
At DoubleTree, the warm cookie welcome at check-in is a hallmark of the stay and is a favorite for all guests...except those with allergies. With nearly 33 million Americans (1) suffering from food allergies, and the level of allergies substantially rising (2) the iconic welcome gesture had become increasingly off-limits for the very guests we are looking to connect with. And thus, an Allergy-Friendly cookie was baked.
A warm, comforting, and consistent experience are the pillars of a stay at DoubleTree. To target a new group with less closeness with the brand, who better to help share the message than a beloved and trusted icon? Knowing millennial's soft spot for all things nostalgic and their habit of co-watching Sesame Street with their children (adults account for nearly 60% of the viewing audience), it only made sense to pull in the OG cookie connoisseur to help spread the word about our new inclusive cookie offering.
We partnered with Cookie Monster, to launch our new allergy-friendly cookie available upon check-in at locations nationwide.
Leading up to the announcement we “teased” the cookie, and our cookie expert through a series of social media takeovers, and a secret hacked hotline. Through a custom 1-866-DBL-TREE number, consumers could call to hear a secret clue around the announcement from a familiar monster voice or have automated text interactions.
On National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, we let the monster out of the bag with announcement social posts, a Good Morning America segment, and an open family-friendly pop-up activation at DoubleTree in Times Square. Guests (from parents to passerby) were welcomed to enjoy the experience, sample the new cookie, snap pics in a custom photo booth and even meet Cookie Monster himself.
Our goal for this effort was to appeal to Millennial parents and encourage them to try the cookie with their families and create new memories at a DoubleTree location. We had 1.2B global PR impressions, and doubled average brand mentions on social media as compared to their normal baseline.
