The luxury hotel chain owned by Marriott has launched a new $10 million campaign 9/16 to spread awareness of its new branding. It includes direct mail, email, social media and banner ads. Via LA-based Team One came up with the new tagline, “Let Us Stay with You,” replacing its previous “It’s Our Pleasure” slogan, which the brand launched in 2004.
Banner and print ads begin in October. Banner ads will appear on VanityFair.com, FT.com, CNNArabic.com, NewYorker.com, NPR.com and WallStreetJournalChina.com. Print will appear in Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Vogue China and Monocle UK.
For social media, the company will add info to its Foursquare page, detailing attractions around Ritz-Carlton hotels. The chain is also promising a personal message from company president Herve Humler in response to all Facebook posts on the Ritz-Carlton Wall, and use Twitter for pre-activation to learn more about customers. More than 50% of the buy is on digital this time around.
The chain keeps its lion and crown logo but will lose the logo’s silver tray and white-gloved-hand visual. The new positioning was designed to be more inclusive of non-affluent customers. Sitch said the messaging is meant to reach all types of customers but not in a “masstige” (mass prestige) way: “If we were to market as one of the masstige luxury products, then we are taking away the aspirational essence of who we are. It’s important we communicate in a way that maintains the aspirational essence, despite having consumers that buy a candle on our website and consumers that buy a multimillion-dollar condo to live with us.”
Ritz also launched a new website, including easier search and more images, guest stories and experiences.
