The campaign — which involves a Facebook contest, special screenings of the film and promotion of “42” on hotel room TVs, among other initiatives — is the first time Marriott International has done niche marketing for the loyalty program, called Marriott Rewards.
Apoorva Gandhi, vice president for multicultural markets and alliances at Marriott International, said the hotel company had opted to use the film to reach African-Americans because “it matches our culture, theme and values. The Jackie Robinson story is about the opportunity to break down barriers, opportunity for all, equality and inclusion. These values match well with Marriott International.”
In 1989 the company established a program to create a more diverse work force and to train employees on diversity; it also established a supplier diversity program in 1997.
The movie, whose title is the uniform number Robinson wore and that was later retired for all teams by Major League Baseball, tells the story of the infielder’s signing in 1946 by the Brooklyn Dodgers general manager, Branch Rickey; in the film, Robinson is portrayed by Chadwick Boseman and Branch Rickey by Harrison Ford. Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, who won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for “L.A. Confidential,” “42” will be released by Warner Brothers Entertainment on April 12. April 15 will be the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s first game as a Brooklyn Dodger, celebrated annually by Major League Baseball as Jackie Robinson Day.
Marriott’s tie-in with “42” — it is the film’s official hotel partner — was brokered by APA Talent and Literary Agency; APA previously arranged for various Marriott hotels to be featured in the 2012 film, “Think Like a Man,” a romantic comedy based on Steve Harvey’s advice book, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.”
Thomas Fry, who oversees entertainment marketing and brand integration at APA in Beverly Hills, said “42” became attractive as a promotional tool for Marriott when the agency learned, from discussions with Marriott guests and employees, about “the importance of diversity and equality in the workplace, and in hotels where you choose to spend the night. We looked for and tracked projects that fit with this. What is more perfect than telling the story of an American hero like Jackie Robinson?”
Although Marriott has been running print and online advertising since last year aimed at black, Hispanic and gay travelers with the tagline “For you, we’re Marriott,” the “42” initiatives are the company’s first to promote Marriott Rewards — which has 42 million members globally — to a specific market.
Mr. Gandhi said Marriott had found that niche groups were spending more on travel, and “saw the importance of trying to reach current and potential customers in a different way than just buying advertising. We wanted to do something in excess of that. We want to reach multicultural travelers in a unique way that will cut through the clutter and resonate in a way that reaches them personally.”
To that end, a special trailer for the film, featuring Mr. Boseman, has been created and is being shown this month and next on the LodgeNet entertainment system on guest room televisions in over 1,000 hotels — across all Marriott International brands — in the United States.
On Feb. 25, Marriott also began a monthlong sweepstakes on Facebook that offers daily prizes of tickets to “42,” plus the chance to win an expenses-paid trip to the film’s Los Angeles premiere April 9. The contest urges prospective entrants to “step up to the plate every day for a chance to win tickets to ‘42’!” Marriott has promoted the sweepstakes by e-mail to its loyalty program members.
It also has created a special insert about the contest for key cards it is distributing to guests at hotels in 11 markets, including Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Oakland. The insert features a baseball diamond overlaid with a bat — replicating the Facebook contest — and urges guests to click on the bat online to enter the contest daily; a walk or single creates one entry, a double two entries, a triple three entries and a home run four entries.
Next month Marriott will hold screenings of “42” in Boston, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Phoenix for elite participants in Marriott Rewards, and screenings for what Mr. Gandhi called “key multicultural clients” — both guests and travel managers — in cities where the key card inserts are being distributed. There will also be “42” screenings next month for Marriott employees in New York and Washington.
In addition, Marriott is promoting “42” on its diversity microsite; to an online community of its loyalty program members; and on the blog of J. Willard Marriott Jr., the company’s executive chairman.
Mr. Gandhi said Marriott was spending $15,000 to sponsor the multicultural screenings; he also said Warner Brothers would use social media to promote the Marriott Rewards contest.
Warner Brothers declined to comment on its collaboration with Marriott.
•
If you like In Advertising, be sure to read the Advertising column that runs Monday through Friday in the Business Day section of The New York Times print edition and on nytimes.com. And read coverage anytime of advertising, marketing, television, print, movies and new media on the Media Decoder blog at mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com.
Stuart Elliott is on assignment this week.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/business/media/marriott-ties-in-with-42-to-promote-loyalty-program.html?partner=rss&emc=rss