Hilton CMO on why its ‘For the Stay’ campaign is the hotel’s ‘Just Do It’

According to Hilton Chief Marketing Officer Mark Weinstein, the hotel’s “For the Stay” marketing platform is Hilton’s version of Nike’s iconic “Just Do It” campaign.

The hotel company’s first global marketing platform, “Hilton. For the Stay,” launched last July. Since then, the brand has run TV ads voiced by actor Catherine O’Hara, humorous spots starring Paris Hilton and even a 10-minute — yes, 10-minute — TikTok.

“For the Stay” is here to, well, stay — for “eternity,” if you ask Weinstein. As the platform enters its second year, Weinstein sat down with Hotel Dive to discuss the inspiration behind the latest campaigns, the challenges and rewards of working with TikTok influencers and where the hotel company’s marketing is headed in 2024.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

HOTEL DIVE: When “Hilton. For the Stay” launched, you said that the hospitality landscape had become so crowded that hotel marketing campaigns were a “sea of similarity.” What did you mean by that?

MARK WEINSTEIN: Marketing travel is probably the easiest category in the world. Marketing a travel brand is probably the hardest. Beautiful sunsets and getting to go somewhere and be inspired almost sells itself, right? It’s the empty beaches with nobody else there, and the chairs by the pool and watching the sunset. It’s the rooftop bar where it’s you and your loved ones by yourselves. And that’s just not reality, so there’s a hollowness to it. [It’s] asking customers to suspend disbelief.

If [hotel companies] are all saying the same thing, and all have the same message, we’re advertising travel — we’re not advertising our unique role in travel. And yet, we do have a unique role in travel. We’re not a travel company. We’re not responsible for how you get to us. We’re not responsible for the destination. What we are responsible for is when you get to that destination.

How does “For the Stay” address this?  

If you look at our paid advertising, we’re often showing a travel tension. We’re acknowledging that we know that it’s not always smooth traveling. But when you get to the hotel, Hilton is the antidote to the world that’s on the go. It’s the antidote to the crazy.

So I think that’s what’s been missing from the storyline. There is a reality to travel. When you go to the most crowded destinations on the planet, and you’re trying to get that must-have selfie, that’s not always as smooth sailing as people make it out to be in the advertising. I can’t control that, but what I can control is a warm chocolate chip cookie when you come back to the DoubleTree. I don’t think you should pretend that the world has rose-tinted glasses all the time. But the moments that we can help create or enable, [those are] moments of joy.

Hilton found TikTok success with a rare 10-minute video on the platform. How do you adapt your marketing for TikTok? And why 10 minutes? 

@hilton Unexpected & amazing things can happen when you stay, and we want you to stay with us for 10 minutes. Yup, we made a 10-minute TikTok AND we’re giving away 10M Hilton Honors Points + more. #HiltonStayFor10 #HiltonForTheStay ♬ Hilton’s 10-Minute Stay – Hilton

What’s really uncomfortable as a brand initially, but is really powerful, is letting other people tell our story. As a brand marketer, that’s a little scary — to lose control over what’s being said about you. But there’s nothing more authentic than somebody else telling the story of their stay. I believe in our product, and I believe in our team members, so losing a lot of control for a lot more authenticity is the right tradeoff.