Westin Hotels launches new multi-million dollar Advertising Campaign

Westin Hotels & Resorts has launched a new multi-million dollar “This is How it Should Feel” advertising campaign that brings to life the brand’s new positioning of personal renewal. In a departure from the genre, Westin’s new global television, print and online campaign is devoid of room shots, sunsets or fluffy beds. Instead, the campaign communicates what guests should feel at a Westin -- a relaxing, personal and renewing experience. The new campaign is the first to debut after a year long revamp of Starwood’s marketing and brand strategy.

“We have worked hard to redefine our brands and develop innovative signature services that communicate each brand’s unique positioning,” said Steven J. Heyer, Chief Executive Officer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. “Westin’s campaign is illustrative of its new positioning centered on personal renewal, well being and restoration of the mind, body and spirit. We are not just in the business of selling beds or guestrooms, but rather experiences and memories. In the months to come, our other brands will introduce new creative executions that likewise tell their unique brand stories.”

Created by Deutsch New York, the campaign debuts the new tagline “This is How it Should Feel” and includes four television spots, a multi-tiered print effort and an online component designed to entice consumers with innovative executions. The first print ad to debut highlights Westin’s new signature White Tea scent, which will be introduced in hotels worldwide this spring as part of the brand’s Sensory Welcome program. The second magazine ad highlights relaxation and is simply a clear acetate page stating, “Clear your mind. Free your senses.” One television spot entitled “Breathe” literally encourages viewers to take a moment to breath and relax, while “Wake Up” demonstrates how it would be nicer to wake up to the sounds of birds chirping or waves breaking than to an alarm clock. The television spot “News” slowly replaces the jarring images, financial tickers and sounds of a business news show with calming imagery and the “Mask” spot blocks out the confusion of the outside world and allows the viewer to see only through the onscreen cool sensation of a mud mask and cucumber slices.

The online advertising plays upon the Westin guest experience using interactive components and sensory elements that promote relaxation and tranquility, including choosing from a specially developed soundtrack to play music based on your mood or dragging an interactive rake across a Zen garden.

“Westin’s new ad campaign marks a pivotal point for Starwood and its brands as we continue to move from a real estate focused company to a world class lifestyle company,” said Javier Benito, Starwood’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “This campaign touches upon what a true Westin guest experience offers, not just a comfortable destination but rather an oasis from the stress of travel and everyday life.”

“The campaign was designed to engage consumers in a very different way,” said Kathy Delaney, Chief Creative Director/President, Deutsch NY. “To give them an 'experience' every time they came in contact with the campaign. It was a conscious decision not to discuss specific amenities. But to allow people to 'feel' the brand through the individual executions on a very visceral level.”

The global marketing campaign will appear on cable stations such as CNN, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, USA, TNT, TBS and Bravo, and in print titles including the New Yorker, Wired, Vanity Fair, Real Simple and Gourmet.

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