YouTube comedienne and E! star Grace Helbig recently partnered with Marriott Hotels for a digital campaign aimed at boosting the brand's direct booking services. Aimed at ousting popular third-party booking sites, Grace Helbig stars in a hilarious series of skits that feature her encouraging various characters to "be more direct."
In order to create the series, Marriott Hotels teamed up with Above Average, a digital media agency that has previously worked with brands such as Oreo and Lexus. The 'Go the Direct Route' series was a collaborative effort between the three parties and will appear on Marriott's YouTube channel.
As brands continue to expand digital marketing efforts through viral storytelling, partnerships between YouTube stars and organizations are proving to be a surefire method of engaging audiences.
Comedic Brand Channels
Grace Helbig Works with Marriott Hotels in a Fun Digital Campaign
Trend Themes
1. Digital Marketing Expansion - Opportunity for brands to expand their digital marketing efforts through engaging storytelling with YouTube stars.
2. Partnerships with Youtube Stars - Collaborations between brands and YouTube stars provide an effective method of audience engagement.
3. Boosting Direct Booking Services - Disruptive innovation opportunity for the hospitality industry to leverage humorous digital campaigns in order to promote direct booking services and compete with third-party booking sites.
Industry Implications
1. Digital Media Agencies - Digital media agencies can capitalize on partnerships between brands and YouTube stars to create engaging content for their clients.
2. Hospitality - The hospitality industry can benefit from using humorous digital campaigns to promote their direct booking services and compete with third-party booking sites.
3. Online Travel Booking - The online travel booking industry should be aware of the disruptive potential of humorous digital campaigns promoting direct booking services.