- Hotels.com is introducing a brand new mascot to promote savings available through the Expedia Group-owned travel-booking site, according to a press release.
- Bellboy, an anthropomorphic hotel desk bell standing about 18 inches tall, stars in a brand new campaign supporting a sale running through May 26. The effort, which incorporates a jingle, appears on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, in addition to Hotels.com’s website and app.
- Bellboy will begin cropping up in Hotels.com’s global marketing in the approaching weeks. The brand is switching up its ambassador strategy at a time of turbulence for the travel industry, which is contending with the chaos of President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda.
Hotels.com is putting a mascot front-and-center in its marketing once more, this time through what the platform bills as the primary “spokesbell.”
The brand, previously known for ads featuring a Captain Obvious character played by actor Brandon Moynihan, is tweaking its approach with the puppeteered, cartoon-like Bellboy, who is supposed to exude confidence while sharing travel hacks and savings learned from an upbringing within the hospitality industry. A significant a part of Bellboy’s directive is educating people about tools available via the Hotels.com app, like a brand new price alert function that notifies users when a hotel they’re watching drops its rates, that might help drive loyalty.
Social media videos backing Bellboy are soundtracked by songs with on-the-nose lyrics describing Bellboy — “He’s a bell, he’s a boy, he’s Bellboy!” — and touting a serious sales push running through late May. As a part of this system, Hotels.com is offering consumers 25% or more on a big selection of stay options, in addition to the prospect to earn 50% more rewards on bookings. The deals-focused campaign lands ahead of the summer travel rush but comes as consumer confidence plunges amid fears of a recession spurred by tariffs.
Hotels.com sunset Captain Obvious in 2022 after employing the uniform-wearing mascot developed by agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky for nearly a decade. In the interim, the corporate has experimented with character-free promoting, including through a campaign last 12 months, “Introductions,” that positioned its platform as a “matchmaker” for travelers and hotels. “Introduction” was created by Anomaly.
Mascots are having a little bit of renaissance as marketers latch onto recognizable icons that may translate across media channels. Hi-Chew and Buffalo Wild Wings are among the many brands which have introduced animated spokescharacters lately.
Read the total article here
