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Hampton Hotels relies on video campaign to highlight travel experience

Hilton Worldwide?s Hampton Hotels is launching a digital video campaign that showcases how consumers use their mobile devices and social media as part of their travel experience.

The ?Hamptonality? campaign is banking on mobile and social-heavy users to help spread the word to their friends and family members about the brand and its amenities. In conjunction with the campaign, Hampton Hotels is launching its Instagram account this summer.

?At Hampton, we recognize that Millennials are an inherently digital audience," said Judy Christa-Cathey, vice president of global brand marketing at Hampton Hotels, Mclean, Va.

"We also recognize the sheer size of this group, the largest generation alive today at 1.8 billion globally, and that they are an emerging customer base in the hospitality category ? although they are rapidly becoming a key focus," she said.

"Using these insights, we wanted to reach this next generation of travelers and connect with them in new and meaningful ways."

Mobile, social experience
Hampton Hotels has launched a new 30-second video spot that chronicles how seven Millennials interact with the brand at nine different hotels. The Millennials are serving as brand ambassadors for Hampton Hotels.

The spot opens with a picture of an Instagram picture from a consumer who is headed to a Hampton Hotels location for a family trip. The image includes the #hamptonality hashtag, which is helping the brand spread the word to consumers.

A series of other similar Instagram pictures then flash across the screen.

The shot then changes to a video created on the mobile app Vine to show one of Hampton Hotel?s brand ambassadors as they are traveling.

The video then shows a screenshot of mobile check-ins at a Hampton Hotel location and features pictures of consumers accessing the hotel chain?s free Wi-Fi service via tablets and laptops.

The ad also highlights the chain?s free breakfast and Hampton Inn employees helping consumers.

A call-to-action at the end of the clip encourages consumers to find the brand on Facebook and to sign up for the Hilton HHonors loyalty program.

The digital video will air on Hulu and MTV and will also include ads on Pandora, all of which are likely signaled out because of their high demographics of young and tech-savvy consumers.

Connected consumers
Hampton Hotels will also leverage the campaign to launch its own Instagram account this summer. Hampton Hotels has already posted a handful of images to its account as part of the summer marketing initiatives.

Consumers are encouraged to upload pictures of their vacations for a chance to win two free-night stays at a Hampton Hotels location.

By focusing on a digital-only approach, Hampton Hotels is able to effectively target its group of Millennial consumers who rely on their mobile devices to influence their friends and family members.

?We certainly recognize the value of mobile and social media to our hotels, both from a revenue perspective and from a relationship-building perspective," Ms. Christa-Cathey said.

"I think our industry on the whole has seen how mobile and social have made it easier to research and book travel at the last minute or when it is convenient for the traveler, and confidence in mobile booking is on the rise," she said.

"With Millennial travelers in particular, we have the opportunity to engage in real-time social conversations that can help us make their experience the best it can be every time. It?s what they expect from the brands they buy from and stay with, and we will do everything we can to meet and exceed their expectations.?

Here is the campaign's video:

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York