EMBASSY
SUITES HOTELS
The
FamilyFriendly Program
 One
might think it would be difficult for a public relations program
targeted at kids and working without advertising support to stand
out from the crowd. The Embassy Suites FamilyFriendly program did
it by going beyond the typical approach — an appeal that was
"emotional, not promotional" — and making the concept
of family-friendliness pervasive throughout the organization.
Winner
of the Gold CIPRA Award, "this was an extraordinary program,"
said Carlton Curtis, then VP of Corporate Communications at Coca-Cola,
"it didn't overlook a single detail." By hitting at the
heart of issues parents face when traveling with kids (Will the
rooms be safe, with all the glass, exposed outlets, sharp corners?
What if I run out of diapers? Who'll watch the kids if I have to
go out?) and responding to these issues, Spector & Associates
helped make Embassy Suites the hotel of choice for this growing
travel market. The message became, "We understand you better
than anyone else."
The
many steps that were implemented to demonstrate the hotel's commitment
to child safety — the childproofing of the rooms, the development
and executing of training courses for hotel staff, from front desk
to housekeeping, the supervised play centers providing arts and
crafts, indoor playgrounds and video games, the welcome kits with
juice boxes and snacks — demonstrated their family-friendly
empathy that pervaded every aspect of the hotel's operation.
The
issues orientation of the campaign extended its reach beyond the
travel media into a broader range of media, including Fortune,
The Wall Street Journal, Time, The New York Times, Fortune, and
The Chicago Tribune.
|
