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Marriott International?s second film tantalizes millennials with value, creative

Marriott International?s plumbing of a new sector of digital marketing continues with the release next month of a second original short film, French Kiss, extending an outreach to younger consumers via YouTube.

The film, which will be available May 19 on mobile via YouTube, follows the hotel chain?s release in March of Two Bellmen, which has so far received five million views on YouTube. The project builds upon Marriott International?s bid to connect emotionally with consumers and highlight its properties in a creative manner with mobile playing a major strategic role.

?When we sit down to plan content, we actually build the creative and distribution strategy working backwards understanding how each screen is different from viewer to viewer an behavior,? said David Beebe, vice president of creative and content marketing at Marriott International, Bethesda, MD. 

?It?s not just about creating one piece of creative and pushing it everywhere. You have to build creative in context for each screen.? 

?By providing content on mobile that provides value ? be it utility, destination, or entertainment ?, the viewer makes a positive association with the brand because it provided value first, and didn?t try to sell anything,? he said. 

Providing value
A case in point is the content on Marriott Traveler, the brand?s new destination-focused travel magazine. It recently launched with destination content in all formats around New Orleans and will roll out in new cities each month. 

?Once we provide value, then we can ask for the sale, and easily provide booking links and location based offers,? Mr. Beebe said.

Connecting emotionally on mobile.

YouTube was chosen as the primary distribution point for French Kiss to ensure it would be available on mobile wherever YouTube is available. It also offers closed captioning in eight languages, as did Two Bellmen. 

Shot in and around Paris and at the Paris Marriott Hotel Champs-Elysees, French Kiss marks the studio's first international production.

The film follows a seemingly magical romance that could only happen in Paris. Ethan (Tyler Ritter) is a young American obsessed with work visiting the French capital to speak at an innovation conference at the Paris Marriott Hotel Champs Elysees. 

Admired from afar by the gorgeous but mischievous Margaux (French model and actress Margot Luciarte), Ethan is tricked into following her string of clues throughout the city ? forcing him to explore, imagine and literally see the magic of Paris through her eyes. All the while, he wonders if his guide is real, or a mystical muse with magical powers that gives him a glimpse of a life that seems like a dream. In the end, he finds out.

Short films are just one part of Marriott International?s content marketing strategy. It is creating three types of content: utility, including travel tips and tricks; destination; and entertainment, including ?webisodes? like Courtyard Camera in partnership with the NFL and Courtyard, Navigator Live, a TV show in partnership with AEG and Renaissance brand, and the short films.
 
Emotional touch
The films are a lesson in how creating interactive and creative content enables marketing and advertising teams to yield a more emotional touch that resonates positively with consumers. 
 
Marriott International brand does a star turn in Paris.

?Millenianls understand that brands need to market, but they appreciate when a brand provides value first, in this case, pure entertainment value where they learn about the hotel and it?s features/benefits without us explicitly integrating it or saying it,? Mr. Beebe said. 

?The Marriott Hotels brand and hotel is a character in the story. It?s an enabler of the story and is experienced visually. 

?They will appreciate we didn?t try to sell them anything up front,? he said. ?We believe if you scale content in this fashion across all screens, it has a positive emotional connect and ultimately they will provide value back to us next time they are travelling.?

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York