{"id":27997,"date":"2023-01-05T20:21:45","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T20:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/sonesta-hotels-and-judy-greer-team-for-funny-self-aware-ad\/"},"modified":"2023-01-05T20:21:45","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T20:21:45","slug":"sonesta-hotels-and-judy-greer-team-for-funny-self-aware-ad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/sonesta-hotels-and-judy-greer-team-for-funny-self-aware-ad\/","title":{"rendered":"Sonesta Hotels and Judy Greer Team for Funny, Self-Aware Ad"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Judy Greer knows you don\u2019t know her name\u2014and she\u2019s okay with that. Hotel brand Sonesta International is also well aware that its name might not be on the tip of your tongue yet, but it\u2019s hoping to change that with its first mass-media campaign in its 80-year history.<\/p>\n

Sonesta partnered with creative and consulting agency RO New York to launch \u201cFamous Yet Nameless,\u201d a boldly self-aware brand awareness campaign featuring the veteran actor. The Archer and Reboot star takes the opportunity to poke fun at her status as \u201cthe lady from that thing\u201d while experiencing the hotel\u2019s amenities and helpful staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve seen me in countless TV shows and movies,\u201d Greer says into the camera while walking past curious guests doing double takes. \u201cYou know my face like the back of your hand. But\u2026what\u2026is\u2026my\u2026name?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Armed with an affable response to being asked, \u201cHaven\u2019t I seen you in\u2026?\u201d Greer confides that being nameless does have its perks\u2014one of which is being able to privately enjoy the hotel\u2019s many amenities.\u00a0She then delivers two perfect reveals in the forms of a picturesque view from her hotel room and a spot-on brand message: \u201cWhat people truly remember is an excellent performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

RO New York, Sonesta International<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

A stay by any other name<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cFrom the beginning of the ideation process, we approached the campaign with authenticity and transparency, which we felt was critical to accurately illustrate Sonesta,\u201d said Rony Zeidan, founder and chief creative officer of RO New York, in a statement. \u201cWe know that Sonesta has been an established hospitality brand with limited name recognition, and is embarking on a new path forward, so that drew us to the idea of veteran actors who have played many roles across genres that have maximum face recognition but minimal name recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greer herself couldn\u2019t help but cheekily acknowledge the rarity of her star turn, saying in a statement: \u201cI am very thankful to Sonesta for making me their leading lady in their new brand campaign, which historically hasn\u2019t always been the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Harlow, Sonesta\u2019s CMO, told Adweek that the transparency of the campaign immediately clicked with the brand\u2019s team and stakeholders.<\/p>\n

She shared, \u201cEveryone was immediately on board and said, \u2018Oh my God, this is a perfect representation of who we are and where we want to go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Greer, Harlow feels she was the ideal person to deliver the brand\u2019s honest messaging: \u201cWe love Judy, and if we can work with her [again] in the future we would absolutely love to.\u201d<\/p>\n

A brand with an extended length of stay<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h4>\n

While more recognizable competitors like Hilton<\/a> and The Four Seasons made news in 2022<\/a> for either featuring iconic family members in big marketing pushes, or rebranding their notoriously \u201cstuffy\u201d images, Sonesta International was flying under the radar while it underwent some necessary housekeeping.<\/p>\n

\u201c2022 was really a year of foundation building, and now it\u2019s time to make some noise and bring our message to the world,\u201d said Harlow. \u201cI think you\u2019ll see more of us in terms of being present in the conversation around hospitality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harlow told Adweek that prior to joining Sonesta a year and a half ago, the brand\u2014which she lovingly calls \u201can 80-year-old startup\u201d\u2014was comprised of 60 properties and grew to 260 shortly after her arrival. With the acquisition of Red Lion Hotels in May 2021, the company has since expanded to 1,200 properties and recently added The James and Sonesta Essential to its growing roster of brands under the Sonesta umbrella.<\/p>\n

Despite its longevity in a crowded industry, the company has never had a full-scale marketing push, according to Harlow, which left the portfolio\u2019s brands undefined during a time when savvy (and sometimes gimmicky) brand distinction became the standard for discerning travelers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really kind of had to establish our brand positioning and who we are and what we stood for and who our target guest was,\u201d said Harlow. \u201cThe company is 80 years old, but we\u2019ve never done any kind of awareness plays to speak of, and we know we have this opportunity. From the data side, we also know that today\u2019s consumers and customers want transparency from a brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cFamous Yet Nameless\u201d campaign, which began its media rollout Jan. 2, is also the brand\u2019s inaugural foray into a \u201cdigital-first\u201d approach, and includes connected TV placements on Hulu and YouTube, programmatic, retargeting and paid search. Digital ads will also run via billboards, bus shelters, elevator screens and taxi cabs. Razorfish is Sonesta\u2019s media agency partner for the campaign.<\/p>\n

Harlow told Adweek the campaign will run in four phases through 2024, with Greer kicking off the first phase, followed by a second phase featuring content created by travel and lifestyle influencers<\/a> Hannah Ann Sluss, Mada Graviet, Luann Diez, Dayna Bolden and Mary Ralph Lawson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hadn\u2019t really dabbled in [the influencer space] before, so that\u2019s also new for us as a brand,\u201d said Harlow.\u00a0\u201c[There\u2019s] more to come on these following phases of \u2018Famous Yet Nameless\u2019\u2026because we don\u2019t want to remain nameless forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n