Reyka Vodka Wants To Take You To Iceland In VR

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Reyka Vodka dove into virtual reality using MonsterVR technology to create a new interactive VR experience that challenges two players to scale a virtual mountain in Iceland. The experience, which features the glaciers, volcanoes and lagoons Iceland is known for, connects to the ingredients of the vodka, which is made using Iceland’s glacial spring water, lava rock filtration and geothermal energy.

Reyka Vodka brand manager Will Orsburn told AListDaily that this new marketing campaign connects with the brand’s messaging “Made of Iceland.”

“Iceland is a remarkably unique place, in terms of the land itself, but also the people and culture,” Orsburn explained. “This is what being ‘Made of Iceland’ is all about, and we strive to bring that to life for our audience at every touch point; that means how we design events and branded items, how we develop cocktails, and of course, how we engage our consumers in the digital space.”

In the past, the brand has launched quirky campaigns through its social platforms to visually showcase its story, provenance, and people. Orsburn said VR presents a great opportunity to bring people to Iceland—virtually—and take them through the production process for Reyka Vodka, in a way that is fun and engaging.

“We have received great feedback on the program at events where we’ve activated, and, through the program, we look forward to bringing many more people to Iceland,” Orsburn said. “We’re still at the beginning of testing our VR at festivals and large-scale sampling events, so it will be interesting to see what the feedback is as more and more consumers have the opportunity to try it.”

The VR experience takes you through the Reyka Vodka distillation process through a two-player competition that presents players with challenges and obstacles. The competition involves a Carter-Head Still, arctic spring water, lava rocks, geothermal energy and making a Reyka cocktail.

“Iceland is the land of fire and ice and is filled with charming characteristics and natural beauty—lava rocks, glacial spring water, volcanoes, towering waterfalls and geothermal energy,” Orsburn explained. “Many consumers have not had a chance to visit Iceland and see these wonders first-hand. VR allows us to share our homeland and gives consumers the chance to experience the Reyka Vodka process. It’s educational, engaging and entertaining.”

MonsterVR reached out to the brand to work on this VR experience, which was created using their cameras. The traveling experience, which is used at events and festivals, also features MonsterVR headsets for consumers to enter into this Icelandic adventure. It’s often a first hands-on with the MonsterVR hardware, as well as a virtual journey to Iceland.

“Working with MonsterVR allowed us to tap into their expertise in technology and VR,” Orsburn said. “They’ve helped us bring our distillation process to life in an original way for our consumers here in the US.”

Reyka Vodka’s VR experience is still in its beta stage, targeting events in key markets. The plan is to roll out the experience to more events and markets throughout 2018.

“Reyka Vodka’s demographic is someone seeking to experience new adventures, who has an inventive spirit and who enjoys quality spirits and cocktails,” said Orsburn.

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Toy Frenzy Begins With Force Friday II

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It’s Force Friday II—a global three-day fan celebration spanning across thousands of retailers—launching new products inspired by Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The event runs September 1-3 and it is expected to top its 2015 predecessor.

“This campaign is on a bigger scale than the first Force Friday, both in terms of geographic scope and the number of retailers,” Paul Southern, a senior vice president at Disney’s Lucasfilm, told Yahoo.

We No Longer Find Your Lack Of Rey Disturbing

In addition to galaxy-sized retail efforts by Disney and Lucasfilm, there are notable differences between this year’s Force Friday and the original, which promoted Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

A combination of underestimated demand and spoiler concerns resulted in a lack of toys based on Rey, the female main character of The Force Awakens. Learning from its mistakes, Southern said that Disney put Rey “front and center” this time, from action figures to collectible holiday ornaments.

Witness The Power Of This Fully Functional Toy Line

Retailers and fans also appreciate the addition of high tech toys unveiled ahead of the holiday season. App-enabled droids, droid inventor kits and augmented reality toys are a common theme this year for Star Wars merchandise.

Jedi Challenges, available for pre-order features a smartphone-powered Lenovo Mirage AR headset, tracking beacon and lightsaber controller. It works with iOS and Android and will be available this holiday season.

In the meantime, fans can “Find the Force” by participating in a global augmented reality event at 20,000 participating retail locations over the weekend. Through the official Star Wars app, AR characters and creatures (including the adorable porgs) can be seen and photographed around stores. Each day will unlock new characters to encourage repeat visits.

By sharing photos or videos featuring the in-store AR characters on Twitter or Instagram using #FindtheForce and #Sweepstakes throughout the Force Friday II weekend, fans in select global markets can participate in a sweepstakes for the chance to win the ultimate fan experience: tickets to the Star Wars: The Last Jedi premiere in December.

These Are The Droids You’re Looking For

Perhaps the most notable new character revealed in toy form is BB-9E—BB-8’s evil twin—whose role in The Last Jedi remains a mystery for now.

Toys ‘R’ Us stores in the US and select stores around the world hosted special midnight celebrations to kick off the event, giving customers the opportunity to be among the first to purchase hundreds of new Star Wars items, like the Toys ‘R’ Us-exclusive Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder from Radio Flyer.

Fans: “I Love You.” Star Wars: “I Know.”

Sales of Star Wars toys in the US totaled $618 million from August 2016 to July 2017, according to NPD Group. The theme was also number one for the last twelve months in the total toy industry.

The first Force Friday promotion in 2015 for The Force Awakens sparked a sevenfold increase in online sales of Star Wars toys for the month of September, according to Financial Post. The studio drummed up excitement for new action figures and toys with a global unwrapping of Star Wars merchandise on YouTube and coverage on ABC’s Good Morning America. The movie went on to become the top-grossing US movie ever.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in US theaters on December 15.

Mercedes-Benz Drives Esports Forward By Partnering With ESL

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Mercedes-Benz is one of the latest non-endemic sponsors to enter into the esports space. The luxury car maker is partnering with ESL to sponsor several of its flagship events, including ESL One Hamburg 2017, a Dota 2 Major tournament that features a €1,000,000 ($1,188,160 US) prize pool.

“The esports engagement is part of Mercedes-Benz’s sponsoring and marketing portfolio’s new strategic direction,” a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson explained to AListDaily. “After its entry into Formula E, the company thus gives another impulse in a future-oriented field. Double-digit growth rates, sold out stadiums across the globe, yearly prize pools of over 100 million euros and almost 500 million streaming hours watched per month all show the increasing significance of esports.”

Mercedes-Benz stated that it chose to partner with ESL because it’s owned by the media company MTG (Modern Times Group) and it operates high-profile branded international and national stadium-sized tournaments such as the Intel Extreme Masters, ESL One and ESL National Championships, in addition to grassroots amateur cups and leagues.

“ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and television production, fully catering to the needs of the esports ecosystem,” the spokesperson said. “With offices in North America, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain and China and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint. As a result, we have identified ESL as the perfect partner to enter the esports segment.”

Bernhard Mogk, senior vice president of global sales and business development at ESL, described to AListDaily about what the involvement of a brand like Mercedes-Benz means for the continued growth of esports.

“The partnership with Mercedes represents an important next step for the esports market, and as such, this development marks a crucial step for the growth of esports and ESL,” said Mogk. “Mercedes and other major non-endemic brands we’re working with are starting to recognize esports as a valid strategy to engage with one of the most attractive and valuable communities in the world: the esports fans. We’re definitely excited to see what kind of activations and engagement Mercedes will bring to the fans, and are looking forward to inspiring more non-endemic partners to follow this example.”

Mercedes-Benz said that it has been following the growth of esports for some time.

“Fans of esports are between 18-and-34-years-old on a global average, and thus a very interesting target group for Mercedes-Benz,” said the spokesperson. “Esports is the perfect tool to reach these millennials. Through esports, we win access to future customers to make them aware of the brand, products and services.”

According to Mogk, the partnership will primarily focus on ESL One tournaments, which are ESL’s flagship tournaments. The most recent event was ESL One Cologne, which attracted over 14,000 visitors and recorded over 62 million online sessions.

“It’s safe to say that events like that offer an incredibly attractive platform for brands to reach and interact with the fans of the world’s fastest growing sport,” said Mogk.

He also added that Mercedes-Benz and ESL have a common heritage, being two brands born in Germany but are growing and expanding to reach a fully global presence.

Discussing how a luxury car brand fits into an esports setting, Mercedes-Benz said, “Our wide-ranging international commitment to sports allows us to accommodate the interests of our diverse target groups. As a brand, we maintain close contact with our customers, are able to build up empathy and to become an accepted part of their world. We are firmly of the opinion that this new involvement will complement our existing sports sponsoring activities with an eye on the future and allow us to make contact with a very interesting, new target group.”

“The key word here is ‘sports,’” said Mogk. “Mercedes is committed to sports, and that commitment has always been an integral part of their DNA. Over the years, the brand has shown an incredible commitment to delivering quality engagements and memorable activations. They can be credited with a long and rich experience in sports sponsoring, with partnerships spread across multiple areas, ranging from football to tennis, sailing and F1. Through those engagements, the brand has always been the partner of the very best in each class.”

‘Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Sets Up And Revitalizes Franchise

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As the tenth game in a long and extensive franchise, Assassin’s Creed Origins serves as a prequel from a story perspective and a reboot for fans when it comes to gameplay. That’s why Ubisoft, having taken a yearlong break from the series (Assassin’s Creed Syndicate released in 2015), is putting heavy emphasis on the lore and gameplay aspects as its main elements when presenting the massive open world of ancient Egypt.

The game launches in October for consoles and PC, with extra graphical enhancements for the Xbox One X and PlayStation Pro, and focuses on the character Bayek, the last of the Medjay—an elite paramilitary force that protected parts of Egypt for the pharaoh. He travels across Egypt during the Ptolemaic period, and his adventures will eventually lead to the formation of the Brotherhood of Assassins that fans are familiar with.

Virginie Cinq-Mars, lead lighting artist for Assassin’s Creed Origins at Ubisoft

“It’s the root of all the lore, the organization, the rituals and how the tenents of the Creed all came to life,” Virginie Cinq-Mars, lead lighting artist for Assassin’s Creed Origins at Ubisoft, told AListDaily.

Not only does the game recount the start of the secret organization and its belief system, but it also features famous historical figures such as Julius Caesar and Cleopatra—along with ancient cities such as Memphis and Alexandria—while showing how the endless war against an Illuminati-like enemy called the Templar began.

Although it was preceded by months of ongoing speculation, Origins was officially announced at E3 in June with a trailer, a gameplay demonstration and an early demo for attendees to try on the show floor. The demo, which puts players into Bayek’s weathered sandals and lets them control his pet eagle Senu, has also been generating hype at Gamescom.

Cinq-Mars said that it has been Ubisoft’s longtime dream to bring the Assassin’s Creed franchise to Egypt, and it was the ideal setting to show the beginning of the Brotherhood, given its rich history that spans thousands of years. The location and time period also happens to be one that was heavily requested by fans.

“We try to recreate this pivotal moment in history, when the Egyptian Empire was at the height of its grandeur, but was also at the beginning of its demise,” said Cinq-Mars.

Although the story is fictional, the Assassin’s Creed franchise prides itself on maintaining a high degree of historical accuracy for its large open worlds. But Origins takes players back thousands of years, and much of the artifacts and landmarks have been destroyed through conflict, looting or neglect. Cinq-Mars explained how the development team had to rely heavily on historians to depict the massive setting as accurately as possible.

At the same time, Cinq-Mars emphasized how “the franchise needed modernization and we wanted to put our efforts into that. That’s why we switched to a quest system and revamped the combat system as well.”

With the new quest-based story system and revised combat, there is plenty for both new players and existing fans to enjoy.

“We’re having tons of positive feedback,” said Cinq-Mars, discussing the player reaction to the demo. “People are happy about the new setting, the new combat system and the hero Bayek. They’re excited to play as him and his eagle Senu.”

However, Assassin’s Creed is one of Ubisoft’s longest-running franchises, and that sets up a lot of expectations from fans. Cinq-Mars explained that the team worked to integrate the Assassin’s Creed DNA into Origins so that fans would still feel a sense of familiarity with the game, despite its all-new setting, characters and gameplay.

“People love our settings, the level of detail we can achieve, the diversity and the historical periods that we want to develop,” said Cinq-Mars, remarking on what keeps Assassin’s Creed fans coming back for more. “They can learn things from it too, not just fight.”

She also said that players like taking on the personas of the different assassins, donning their robes and following their rules.

“We try to stay true to the brand and all the important aspects of it.”

VC And ‘FarmVille’ Creator Says VR Needs ‘Constant Reinvention’

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Do you recall the glory days of Facebook when friends and family gathered on the social media platform to hoe and plough each other’s harvest on FarmVille? Now all they seemingly do is proliferate fake news, but that’s a big bag of manure we won’t unpack in this field.

Amitt Mahajan, the co-creator of FarmVille and formerly the chief technology officer and director of engineering for Zynga, has moved on to greener pastures since creating the game that swept social and mobile platforms by storm.

He exited his post from the video game developer in 2011 and founded Toro before selling the automated mobile app marketing company to Google.

Mahajan then quickly transitioned into being a serial technology entrepreneur and investor. He founded Presence Capital, a venture capital firm focused on the verticals of virtual and augmented reality start-ups, in 2015 with an inaugural fund of $10 million.

He is now a managing partner of the San Francisco-based VC, and has already invested in 35 companies that are bringing new experiences of communicating, working and playing in the VR and AR markets, including Baobab, STRIVR, Harmonix, TheWaveVR, Bigscreen, Resolution Games, Scope AR, and others.

He joined AListDaily for a video interview to offer his thoughts on what makes virtual reality an enticing industry.

On the VR experiences his venture capital fund is most excited about . . .

“At Presence Capital, we look at a lot of different areas of VR investment. The ones that we’re really excited about are things that use VR to solve problems for businesses. We have traditionally done a lot of work in content. But one of the things we’ve been looking at a lot more recently this year is using VR for training for situational awareness. We invested in STRIVR, which came out of Stanford, and they basically focused on building simulations for quarterbacks and sports professionals. They’re using that to essentially replace more expensive training. But as you can imagine, that same form of technology can be used to solve problems in the corporate world as well. We’re really excited about VR being used for things like that.”

On how VR will influence marketing and advertising . . .

“The way I think VR is going to impact the future of marketing, and potentially brand advertising, is that it allows you to take a small space and turn it into an unlimited show room. Amazon is famously called ‘the everything store’ and that’s because they have a virtual storefront and they’re not limited by space. They can hold any amount of anything. You can imagine that VR allows that same possibility to exist for people who are selling goods. I think there is an opportunity there. On the other side of it, I think there’s this idea of being able to put people into situations, where you get to experience what it’s like to use a product without actually having to go and experience it. Brands could control the way that experience works because they’ve built the VR experience.”

On the marketing challenges of VR . . .

“I think that there are a couple of things that will be a problem. First, it’s the availability of the headsets. They are pretty big set-ups now. They’re not really easy, even if you have the Samsung Gear VR; it’s kind of hard to use. Then getting a lot of people [to experience it] is pretty difficult as well—even if you have an on-location event. You have to clean it, there are just a lot of logistical issues in physicality getting the VR devices into people’s hands. I think that problem will be solved. I think eventually we’ll have VR headsets or glasses and everyone will be able to get around to that eventually.”

On how VR can offer better social experiences . . .

“Social for VR is going to be really important. It’s a topic I think about a lot—what the future of VR is going to look like when you incorporate all of the social stuff Facebook announced at F8 this year. I don’t think we have yet seen the final form of social VR. I think we’re just in the nascent stages. A lot of it’s built for PC or console VR, which is not very distributed yet. I think there’s going to be a future where we all have VR on our phones by default, and we tend to use it. But there’s a couple of interesting things that Facebook did that, if I were a developer or someone that wants to potentially be on top of VR as a platform, I would pay attention to. The first is that they have backward compatibility. Not a lot of people have thought about social that way. Facebook has been a lot more conservative about how much distribution they give their new app platforms. But given how important this is for them, I think they’ll probably be a little more open. It could be a potential way of getting a lot of users really quickly for folks that build on it early.”

On VR sustaining long-term growth . . .

“VR is new and it’s shiny and it is kind of exciting, so people are pretty eager to try it, and that’s great in the short term. But I think in the long term, just with web advertising or with social games or mobile games—or any of the stuff that’s come before—after a while the newness kind of wears off. Then you have to basically find something that’s compelling and interesting. You have to do the hard work of creating compelling narratives and stories. Folks that are doing that right now are building up a lot of that knowledge and expertise. In the future, when it’s a lot more competitive to actually get people’s attention, they’re going to have the expertise to create compelling experiences to make that happen. Just like on the web, you’re going to have to stay on top of new developments and new tricks. It’s a constant reinvention. What worked for web advertising when it started is very different than what works today. Just like any other media, it’s a continuous education process and a continuous reinvention process to stay relevant and actually use the medium to its fullest.”

QuakeCon Builds On Bethesda’s VR And Esports Business Strategy

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Nikita “Clawz” Marchinsky took home the two top prizes at the inaugural $1 million Quake World Championships competition at QuakeCon this year, winning both the individual and team competitions (playing for Team 2z) featuring id Software’s Quake Champions game. Esports and virtual reality were two key marketing messages at the three-day Dallas fan fest, which attracts over 12,000 gamers annually.

Pete Hines, vice president of marketing at Bethesda Softworks, told AListDaily that this year’s ESL tournament is the first step in an esports roadmap that includes the $75,000 DreamHack Denver Quake Championship and the $350,000 Quake Champions Invitational at DreamHack Winter in Sweden.

“This isn’t just a one-off,” Hines said. “We have other big events planned this year, and we have a whole suite of things planned for next year. And it’s not just for the top-level players. We really want Quake Champions to be a thing where folks can compete at lots of different levels. We want that element that is the equivalent of a weekend warrior, so that you’re not going to practice every day, but you enjoy the skill-based aspect of it and you want to enter a tournament every now and then or get some friends together and compete at a local amateur level. We want to have the amateur, semi-pro and pro levels so a player or team can come from out of nowhere and work you’re their way all the way up to the top to compete against some of the best players in the world. We want to create a competitive scene that doesn’t always have to mean playing for a million dollars and going up against the best players.”

Outside of esports, QuakeCon has evolved into a major marketing vehicle for not only id Software’s game, but the entire catalog of Bethesda console, PC and VR offerings. When Zenimax acquired id Software nine years ago, Hines said the parent company didn’t want to change QuakeCon unless it was for the better.

“We worked with the volunteers and the fans to figure out how to make this celebration of gaming and competitive play and esports better,” Hines explained. “QuakeCon has become a great place to show press and fans new content we have coming out, including hands-on with games like Quake Champions, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. Timing-wise it’s a great point in the calendar between E3 and PAX West to connect with fans and press and show everyone what we’re doing.”

QuakeCon remains a draw for sponsors as well. AMD was the lead sponsor for both QuakeCon and the Quake World Championships, while companies like 5-hour Energy, Alienware, Filthy Casual, Razer, Corsair and MSI all had booths at the event.

“QuakeCon is now in its twenty-second year and we’ve established relationships with brands like Alienware, AMD and 5-hour Energy, so esports is an opportunity for us to widen the pool,” Hines said. “We’ve talked to lots of non-endemic brands, whether it’s snack food or beverages, and they all understand and see that this esports is a growing business. It’s very nice to be able to talk to them about Quake Champions as an esport from the standpoint because Quake was the original esport. We’ve always been doing this type of competition, and while there are other games right now that are bigger and more popular and have bigger prize pools, Quake was the game that started it all.”

QuakeCon also served as a hands-on marketing opportunity for this fall’s VR titles, which includes Skyrim VR for PlayStation VR (launching Nov. 17), Doom VFR on PlayStation VR and HTC Vive (shipping Dec. 1) and Fallout 4 VR for HTC Vive (releasing Dec. 12).

“Whether it’s mobile games, VR, console or PC, our studios are always looking at how our game experiences can be good fits,” Hines explained. “In the case of Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout and Skyrim, these franchises are known for immersion and giving the player a sense of place where they get to explore these worlds and do what they want and completely lose themselves. VR is another incredibly immersive way to bring those experiences to players. Even if you’ve played these games before, playing it in VR is a very different immersive experience in a post-apocalyptic wasteland or in this hidden dungeon. In the case of id Software’s Doom VFR, VR gives you that experience of being a badass marine and a better sense of scale when you’re facing these huge demons. You can’t get that level of scale playing the game on a monitor or TV.”

QuakeCon, as well as upcoming events like PAX West, offers Bethesda the opportunity to get gamers into these VR worlds first-hand.

“You really have to put it on and try it and see for yourself to understand how powerful VR is,” Hines said. “We can talk about what the combat is like in Doom VFR and show you trailers, but you still don’t really get it until you play it. So having it here for folks to experience and taking it on the road to other shows is a big part of helping to spread the word.”

‘Ark: Survival Evolved’ Marketing Focuses On Rewarding Its Players

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After two years entirely in early access, Studio Wildcard’s Ark: Survival Evolved finally—and officially—launched for consoles and PC and went gold doing so. How do you promote the premiere of a game millions are already playing? Cater to the players, of course.

Ark: Survival Evolved begins with a man or woman waking up naked on a mysterious island. Freezing, starving and alone, each player must learn to hunt, craft items, grow crops, build shelter and tame animals. Players can even train, ride and hunt dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts while attacking or defending themselves from other players. As each player advances in the game, they gain access to more advanced weaponry and armor, creating new opportunities for multiplayer challenges and building just about any kind of world they choose.

An evolution event leading up to the game’s official launch helped players progress faster in the game, speeding up the time it takes to earn experience points, hatch new creatures and more.

Studio Wildcard has created a massive community through its streaming and modding communities. Built in Unreal Engine, Ark: Survival Evolved not only allows but encourages players to tinker with the game and make it their own.

“Since partnering up with Epic and opening up our Ark Dev Kit in July of 2015, we have seen over 2,500 different mods enter our Steam Workshop,” the developer wrote on its website. “It is an understatement to say how much we truly appreciate and value our modding community and want to do more to help facilitate the progress of mods, as well as modders.”

Earlier this year, Studio Wildcard introduced Sponsored Mods, which pays a $4,000 stipend toward 15 projects each month to help support creative modders within the community. Each project has the chance to be included in the official game. The first to accomplish this is Ragnarok—a fantasy-themed DLC released for free today.

One mod in particular—a competitive, battle royale mode for the game called Ark: Survival of the Fittest—allowed Studio Wildcard to dip its toe into the esports arena. However in September, the developer stopped development on the project in favor of the main game.

“Ark: Survival of the Fittest was for us an experiment,” Jeremy Stieglitz, Studio Wildcard’s co-founder, told PC Gamer. “It started as a mod and it was pretty cool and pretty fun. A lot of these games that are very successful—like PUBG, Counter Strike or DotA—originate as mods and can switch over to standalone titles.”

A special collector’s edition of Ark: Survival Evolved is available that includes the game, a season pass with three expansion packs, leather notebook filled with dossiers on each creature from the game, a cloth map of the Ark island, a necklace, development team poster and a collectible faux wooden crate. Purchasing the game at Best Buy also includes a limited-edition steelbook.

Fans can also get a behind-the-scenes look at the official soundtrack, which is available now for purchase. Composed by Gareth Coker (Ori and the Blind Forest), the music for the game was recorded at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London.

Studio Wildcard has created and maintained a loyal following leading up to Ark‘s launch through contests and events and by supporting its modding community.

It’s now up to the players to see how the final game evolves.

 

How Marriott Is Marketing Categorically With Relevant Brand Stories To Reach Consumers

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Marriott International is doubling down on human connection by debuting a new category marketing approach that’s designed to be a strategic differentiator in connecting consumers and associates with its classic select brands.

The four hotel chains—Courtyard, Fairfield, SpringHill Suites and Four Points—factor for more than one-third of Marriott’s 6,200 properties and will aim at aligning guests to their underlying “Golden Rule” of quality service.

“The public believes that some aspects of the travel experience can sometimes lack humanity. The Golden Rule campaign was developed to show how positive treatment to others can have a ripple effect, and the ever-increasing importance of human connections—especially in today’s hyper-connected digital environment,” Michael Dail, vice president of global brand marketing at Marriott International, told AListDaily. “We see it as a critical evolution of how we can leverage our collective strength to present a more powerful offering to consumers. The results are significant, as the campaign represents new exposure that each brand may not have otherwise seen.”

Dail said the category marketing approach is a strategic shift for the hotel brand, and that the campaign’s emphasis on emotion and the power of humanity is the shake-up society needs.

To leverage large-scale storytelling efforts sharing real-life stories from their associates and guests from properties around the globe, Marriott took to a cross-screen approach that hits all screen sizes with a media plan consisting of cinema, broadcast, in-flight and mobile. Digital-only content will complement the ad spots on both the campaign’s landing page and social media channels.

Outside of Courtyard’s NFL-specific ads, the launch of the campaign will serve as the primetime TV debut for each brand. The campaign also marks the first time all four brands will appear in cinema and Canada.

Dail said that in order to reach consumers in the hospitality industry, Marriott has to go where guests are and through the channels they prefer. With the Golden Rule, it’s doing so with brand-specific campaigns using a variety of paid, earned and owned channels.

“It’s not just about reaching consumers, though,” Dail said. “It’s equally important to have a relevant brand story that will resonate with consumers [. . .] With today’s media landscape, Marriott has to adapt and expand in terms of how we’re reaching our consumers because they’re constantly getting their news and content from multiple platforms like TV, web and social, among others. These brands will remain distinct in their own identity and we’ll continue to do individual marketing campaigns for these brands, but we realize that we’re also stronger when we come together.”

The category marketing is being complemented with a heavy video marketing strategy. Dail said that when they were developing the campaign, they recognized that they had an emotional story that was as much about philosophy as it was about physical products.

“Video is the best way to showcase human interaction,” he said. “We aren’t talking about in-room amenities or thread count, but rather, we’re showing how the most basic human interaction can create a lasting impression for our guests. With these global brands, video serves as a natural medium to transcend language and cultural barriers. The idea of humanity is understood universally.”

From learning sign language to better accommodating guests and picking up a guest when their car breaks down on the way to the hotel, Dail said Marriott designed the messaging to pay tribute to the real-life acts of their associates and highlight how they go beyond expectations.

“Our company’s mission is to be the world’s favorite travel company and with this campaign, we illustrate that each of these brands are equally and wholeheartedly committed to going one step further. It’s not just about making someone’s bed, but taking time to truly make a guest’s day,” Dail said. “This approach translates to a huge impact.”

Marriott, which has a history of reaching consumers through branded entertainment, will be using MLive, the company’s real-time marketing command center, to actively monitor for moments that epitomize the Golden Rule, as well as always monitoring on behalf of the classic select brands and their loyalty programs.

“In being able to connect with guests in real-time through MLive, we recognize and celebrate these moments of positive human interaction among our associates and guests,” Dail said. “These special interactions will become the source for the real-life video content that’ll be posted on our microsite and social channels.”

Dail said there are numerous markets globally where Marriott is leading penetration with its four classic brands. The brands that Marriott has singled out are designed for a variety of trip occasions, be it business travel, family getaways or just individual leisure destination travel.

“What’s great about category marketing is that it allows us to leverage certain channels to market to consumers who are active in the travel-booking process. They become exposed to the campaign through search and digital channels and they then make their travel decisions based on what they’ve already seen,” Dail said. “Right now, the hospitality industry is leveraging the scope of their portfolios, which creates this unique marketing challenge. We as marketers need to ensure our guests and consumers are seeing the diversity among individual brands and what they stand for.”

Introducing AList Sessions, A New Master Class Event Series

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AList Sessions, a new invite-only event series that will provide an intimate atmosphere for curated, focused discussions about the most pressing challenges marketers are facing today, is coming to Los Angeles beginning October 26.

The unique master-class format, organized and curated by the AListDaily staff, will be geared specifically for marketing executives to discuss strategies and address solutions in a quickly shifting media landscape. 

AList Sessions will kick off with the Insights Track, which will dive deeper into state-of-the-art tools, technologies and insights that drive a greater understanding of paid, owned and earned media—and how it impacts the bottom line.

The Insights Track is designed for attendees to come away with the knowledge to track and unveil the value of earned media, and why it’s critical to recapture the direct one-to-one relationship with customers in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape.

If you are interested in attending an upcoming session, please complete our Application Form. Attendance is limited.

Upcoming Sessions

Turning Insights Into Data
Thursday, October 26, 2017 

With greater access to data comes greater insights, right? But with the enormous amount of data collected daily, how do you keep up with the pace of the data, see how it all interconnects and transform it into something to can act on? This session will unite prominent industry experts who are turning data into action, mapping out the data landscape and pioneering the future of audience measurement to arm you with the knowledge to craft effective strategies, implement tactical planning and track performance.

Reaching Consumers Where They Are
Thursday, November 30, 2017

Television is no longer the king of screen time. As audiences have splintered their media consumption across platforms, where are consumers now, and how is their behavior changing? Brands are faced with a bigger challenge to reach consumers across various touchpoints in the most effective way possible. This session will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of where their audiences live now, and how to best communicate with them.

Staying Competitive In A World Ruled By Walled Gardens
Thursday, January 18, 2018

Marketers are demanding more from their data, but walled gardens from behemoths like Facebook and Google are limiting the amount of information that’s shared. As part of growing a holistic and direct relationship with their customers and their data, this session will dive deeper into how brands can stay competitive and successfully integrate the data and insights from external platforms into their own branding and sales platforms.

The Drive Behind Formula 1’s New Esports Series

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Add Formula 1 to the growing list of traditional sports that are using esports as a way to connect with a younger gaming demographic. The NBA, NFL and FIFA also have esports game plans to target millennial and younger fans. Now F1 has partnered with esports league Gfinity to turn Codemasters’ bestselling F1 2017 game into a virtual sport.

Frank Arthofer, global head of digital and new business at Formula 1, told AListDaily that the 2017 F1 Esport Series will be the first year of an annual competition, highlighting a long-term investment in esports and gaming as well as a continued ambition to build a greater connection with wider audiences, especially younger fans.

Arthofer has watched as the NFL worked with EA Sports to use Madden as a hook to attract younger NFL fans and he believes that same formula will work for F1.

“There’s no better way to invest in a gaming platform than to bring a competition element to it,” Arthofer said. “Although adding a steering wheel to a gaming console doesn’t replicate the physical and mental challenges of real Formula 1 racing, it does nicely mimic the racing experience.”

Arthofer believes this commitment to esports over the coming years will help F1 drive commercial value for the sport, providing real long-term opportunities for TV audiences and broadcast rights holders, as well as existing and new sponsors interested in esports.

The launch of this first season coincided with the release of Codemasters’ critically-acclaimed F1 2017 game, which received the highest Metacritic score in the franchise. Arthofer said F1 has worked more closely with Codemasters in the game’s development in an effort to grow the video game audience. So far, he said the new game’s sales are well outpacing last year’s title at around the same time period.

“We’re still determining esports plans for 2018 and beyond, but next year, Codemasters is working to release the game earlier in the season in an effort to better align the F1 season with the esports season,” Arthofer said.

As for the inaugural season, qualification events will take place throughout September to determine the quickest 40 drivers. These will progress to the live semifinal events, to be hosted at the Gfinity Arena in London on October 10th and 11th. The top 20 will progress to the Finals, which will take place at the Yas Marina as part of the 2017 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 24 and 25. At the end of a three-race event, the first Formula 1 Esports World Champion will be crowned on the same weekend as the final 2017 Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The winner will automatically qualify for the semifinals of next year’s Formula 1 Esports Series. In addition, he or she will also be offered the opportunity to live the full experience of a Formula 1 race by attending one of the 2018 Grands Prix, as well as becoming a character in the F1 2018 game.

“Long-term prizes will focus on sustaining our esports ecosystem,” Arthofer said. “We want these virtual drivers to be able to make a living competing in this game.”

While F1 is still working out all of the details, Arthofer said there’s been a lot of outside interest from new potential partners interested in this esports series.

“Our first priority is always to deepen our sponsor relationships with existing categories, but esports might open up brand new sponsor categories,” Arthofer explained. “And then those new brands could expand beyond esports to other aspects of F1.”

Arthofer said F1 has received both broadcast and online platform interest for this esports series. While details are still being finalized, he acknowledged the success Twitch has had in aggregating online fans in general, and pointed out the success Turner has had with esports through its ELeague initiative in the US.

“Sky is a big partner of ours, and across the globe, others will follow as the US and Europe lead in that area of esports broadcasts,” Arthofer said.

When it comes to traditional esports like Riot Games’ League of Legends and Valve’s CS:GO, Arthoder believes a key to those successes has been in facilitating the community around them.

“We’re investing in an online community of gamers to connect with them on f1esports.com, which will link players to one another,” Arthofer said. “We want to connect fans with us, but also create an ecosystem for the fans. There’s a lot we can borrow from what League of Legends has done successfully.”

There’s also an opportunity to grow F1 esports in new ways. McLaren recently launched its own esports tournament, which will reward a winner with a full-time job as a McLaren F1 simulation driver.

“What McLaren is doing is smart and cool, but given our position as the commercial rights holder around marketing and sponsorship, and our ability to monetize these opportunities, we believe other teams will be chomping at the bit to participate in esports with us,” Arthofer said.