Campaigns We Love: Lights, camera, action for Marriott’s video marketing strategy
The latest popular action short film on YouTube isn’t an indie darling— it’s a sequel to the first action flick Marriott (yes, that hospitality industry Marriott) made called Two Bellmen. This one is, appropriately, Two Bellmen Two.
Marriott has promoted the short films on their social channels, but they also seem to be relying on social proof in a move similar to Netflix’s marketing strategy. Marketing Dive elaborates:
“Two Bellmen Two, a 19-minute action comedy, built its viewership over months as consumers shared the content with friends — and maybe comparing it to a single episode of a network show isn’t fair. But that’s kind of the point. As consumers increasingly shift their viewing habits from TV to smartphones and laptops, savvy brands are creating content that makes an emotional connection with viewers and, as a result, gets them in front of impressive numbers of potential new customers — in some cases, more than they could with a traditional TV ad.”
That “single episode of a network show” referred to Matt LeBlanc’s CBS comedy Man with a Plan which saw fewer viewers on one episode than Two Bellmen Two has racked up so far on YouTube. And while views certainly aren’t everything, that is an indicator of shifting audience habits; you have to know if your target audience is more likely to catch a traditional commercial or a digital one before you invest your marketing dollars in either.
Marriott’s video marketing strategy doesn’t stop with short original film, though; they’re heavily invested in promoting their Snapchat presence across social properties
and driving customers to their partnership with VSCO (an app-based visual creative community) to see city guides and more.
The takeaway here for any brand is to not be afraid to experiment with video in several different formats across platforms until you find what resonates with your audience. You don’t have to have a huge budget to pull it off either; live-streaming video can be a great tool for brands to connect with customers, fans and followers with a lower barrier to entry. Just find the perfect brand rep and set them up with a smart phone, tripod and the permission to get creative within your brand voice and values.
Hat tip for this one goes to Marketing Dive. Love this? See more Campaigns We Love here. Need help measuring a campaign of your own? We can help with that.