As Sean Seah, vice president, e-commerce, loyalty and partner marketing, recalls, it was on a Friday, October 16, 2011. The team had finished lunch and went into a room “to dream big about a WOW campaign for our Langham Place Brand”.
Then, yes, the iPhone rang and “someone talked about the movie they saw last week and that is how it all began.”
What began was the making of three short films, shot with the iPhone 4s, which it is asking fans to find names for, and then to make their own short film and win a spot at the highly coveted indie filmmaker breakfast as part of the Sundance Festival in London.
The two-minute films – titled The Club, The Spa and The Room – capture the brand’s signature pillars – innovation, art and technology.
Said Seah, “The brand DNA of Langham Place Hotels is art, technology and innovation and all three elements are the inspiration behind the campaign.”
Art: “We chose the short film genre because we are passionate about short film as an art form. We engaged a team of talented actors, directors and producers to make this dream a reality.” (See the making of here)
Technology: “Our hotel is built on technology and ensuring that our guest are always stimulated and connected. This is why we chose to challenge ourselves and use an iPhone to film all of the short films.” (See the making of here)
Innovation: “Central to everything we do is innovation. We all want to stay in a hotel that is creatively and passionately making the guest experience better. So choosing the short film genre, filming it on an iPhone and marketing it primarily through social media is a big risk for us. But a risk we are willing to take if it mean we can innovate and make the guest experience better.” (See the making of here)
Directed by Yamanyamo, an emerging new media studio, the short films take viewers on an exploration of the hotel, seeking to engage guests in the wonders of imagination and innovation.
In addition to the short films series, the hotel group has launched the “Making of”, providing a behind-the-scenes look into how the short films were created.
“This social media campaign, conceptualised by Brand Karma, a social media agency, is unique because we are the first brand to create short films produced on a mobile device that leverages social media to inspire our guests to connect and stay with our hotels,” said Seah.
Viewable on social media platforms – YouTube, youku, facebook, weibo and the brand’s dedicated short films website, mywaymyplace.com, social media aficionados are being asked to name the series of films by April 30, 2012 through the website or facebook.com/langhamplacehotels, for the chance to win one of three iPad 3s.
Creatives are also being offered the chance to direct and film their own Langham Place short film, and win a seat at a breakfast during the Sundance Festival in London, alongside emerging directors, producers and leaders of the Sundance Institute.
The prize also includes two nights at The Langham, London and a return ticket to London, for the winning filmmaker. Films must be submitted on mywaymyplace.com and be uploaded to YouTube or youku by April 9, 2012 to qualify.
Asked what kind of customers he was hoping to target with the competition, Seah said, “Langham Place guests are creative, artistic and tech savvy. We are targeting this mass audience to connect and engage with the brand through viewing, sharing and naming the film.
“We are also targeting the creative artistic film makers to inspire them to make the next Langham Place Short film. We want them to be inspired by the art and want to support their career development by sending them to the Sundance Film Institute event help in The Langham London.”
He declined to disclose the funds invested in the campaign “but can say that all of our passion, talent and intellect has been invested into the campaign”.
For competitions to stand out from the clutter, Seah believes they have to be created in simple and engaging ways. “We do believe that competitions carefully crafted can build a connection between a brand and its customers.”
