Hootsuite Names Maggie Lower Chief Marketing Officer

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This week in leadership updates, Hootsuite names Maggie Lower chief marketing officer, K-Swiss hires Kate Minner as vice president of marketing and ecommerce of the Americas, JPMorgan Chase & Co. taps Carla Hassan as chief marketing officer and more.

Hootsuite Appoints Maggie Lower Chief Marketing Officer

Hootsuite has named Maggie Lower as chief marketing officer, according to MarTech Series.

Lower joins Hootsuite from Cision where she was global chief marketing officer. Previously, she was the first chief marketing officer at TrueBlue.

K-Swiss Taps Kate Minner As Vice President Of Marketing And Ecommerce Of Americas Region

K-Swiss has hired Sperry’s chief marketing officer, Kate Minner, as vice president of marketing and ecommerce for the Americas region.

Prior to Sperry, Minner held leadership roles at Lacoste Footwear, William Grant & Sons and L’Oreal.

Lego Names Isabel Graham Head Of Marketing For UK And Ireland

The Lego Group has appointed Isabel Graham as head of marketing for its UK and Ireland division.

Graham has been with Lego for nearly 10 years, most recently as head of marketing for Lego Nordic.

FanDuel Group Hires Brian Borkowski As Senior Vice President Of Marketing

FanDuel has tapped Hulu vice president of media and acquisition, Brian Borkowksi, as senior vice president of marketing.

Previously, Borkowski was chief marketing officer of Verikai and vice president of marketing at Neilson Financial Services, respectively

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Names Carla Hassan Chief Marketing Officer

According to Reuters, JPMorgan Chase & Co. has hired Carla Hassan as chief marketing officer.

Hassan joins JPMorgan from Citi, where she was chief marketing officer. 

McDonald’s Convenes New Team To Enhance Customer Experiences

McDonald’s has assembled a new team combining four existing departments — global marketing, global restaurant development and solutions, data analytics and digital customer engagement —  that’s tasked with implementing the growth pillars of the chain’s Accelerating the Arches initiative announced late last year.

McDonald’s has elevated Manu Steijaert, former vice president of international operated markets, to executive vice president, chief customer officer, to lead the new team.

Steijaert’s career at McDonald’s began 20 years ago when he joined as field service consultant of McDonald’s Belgium.

Aligning Your Brand And Product Messaging With Frankly Organic Vodka Co-Founders Philip And Kristen Risk

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Husband and wife, Philip and Kristen Risk are the co-founders of Frankly Organic Vodka.

On the show, I learn how they met selling luggage, how they maneuvered from sales to marketing, and what brought them to founding a vodka company. They share what’s unique about Frankly Organic Vodka and how the liquor industry is not an easy place to survive and thrive. Yet this dynamite couple is doing just fine. Frankly Organic Vodka expanded its distribution from two states to thirteen states in 2020 and will continue to grow into 45 states. 

When they first founded the company, they focused on making sure the branding fit their product, values, and messaging: transparent, clean, and delicious vodka. Like they say, “It’s straight. Honest. To the point. And memorable.” Listen to the full episode to find out how brand alignment with their product has been key to their success.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The importance of knowing what you consume
  • Doing the research and being transparent
  • Aligning your brand with your messaging 

Key Highlights:

  • [01:53] How Philip and Kristen met
  • [03:25] Why start a vodka company?
  • [08:12] Starting vodka with juice
  • [09:42] What makes Frankly Organic Vodka unique
  • [12:02] Branding the vodka
  • [13:40] Ups and downs of the journey
  • [18:00] Growth and expansion for the company
  • [24:28] Shifting go-to-market strategy 
  • [28:05] Lessons learned
  • [29:35] The experiences that defined Kristen and Philip
  • [31:25] Advice to their younger selves 
  • [32:45] What marketers should be learning more about
  • [33:20] The brands and organizations Kristen and Philip follow
  • [34:21] The biggest threat marketers face 

Resources Mentioned: 

Subscribe to the podcast:

Connect with the Guest:

Connect with Marketing Today and Alan Hart:

Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on opportunities around brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine startups.

Listen In: Creativity Never Sleeps

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Alana Balagot joined Ayzenberg back in 2015 as a senior developer with our digital team. Her latest role finds her as Ayzenberg’s Technical Lead. Alana joins the show today to discuss her passions outside of Ayzenberg, from film composition to robotics, and how those extracurriculars continue to inspire her professional life in tangible ways.

The conversation examines how creativity can be space-agnostic—so much that it makes its way into our professional lives, adding value to the organizations we belong to and driving us to make insightful, personally fulfilling work. The ultimate takeaway from this episode is to consider how you’re translating your non-professional passion into your work-life and reflect on what impact it would make to do so.

About Listen In: Each week on Listen In, Bretz and a rotating cast of hosts from Ayzenberg will interview experts in the field of marketing and advertising to explore uncharted territory together. The goal is to provide the a.network audience with actionable insights, enabling them to excel in their field.

Confluent CMO Stephanie Buscemi Joins Clari’s Board Of Directors

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This week in leadership updates, Clari appoints Stephanie Buscemi to its board of directors, Mercer Advisors taps Gary Foodim as chief marketing officer, Flymachine hires Jason Feinberg as senior vice president of marketing, Bridgestone appoints Sara Correa chief marketing officer and more.

Clari Names Stephanie Buscemi To Board Of Directors

Clari has appointed Confluent chief marketing officer, Stephanie Buscemi, to its board of directors.

Prior to Confluent, Buscemi served as chief marketing officer of Salesforce.

Mercer Advisors Taps Gary Foodim As Chief Marketing Officer

Mercer Advisors has named Gary Foodim chief marketing officer.

Most recently, Foodim was chief marketing officer at Strategic Financial Solutions NY.

Renfro Brands Elevates Kadian Langlais To Chief Marketing Officer

Kadian Langlais, Renfro Brands’ vice president of digital and direct to consumer, has accepted a promotion as the company’s chief marketing officer.

Previously, Langlais consulted with major brands and retailers on their ecommerce and digital marketing strategies. Additionally, she was director of ecommerce for Kayser-Roth Corporation.

Flymachine Appoints Jason Feinberg Senior Vice President Of Marketing

Flymachine has hired Jason Feinberg as senior vice president of marketing.

Feinberg joins Flymachine from Universal Music Group, where he was senior vice president of marketing.

Bridgestone Names Sara Correa Chief Marketing Officer

Bridgestone has hired Sara Correa as chief marketing officer, according to Modern Tire Dealer.

Correa joins Bridgestone from TE Connectivity, where she was most recently vice president and segment chief marketing officer of transportation solutions.

Correa is replacing Philip Dobbs, who will retire in late October after serving as chief marketing officer for a decade.

General Motors Middle East Appoints Sharon Nishi Chief Marketing Officer For Chevrolet, GMC Brands

General Motors Middle East has hired Sharon Nishi as chief marketing officer for the Chevrolet and GMC brands.

Nishi has worked at General Motors since 1987 in various leadership roles across sales and marketing. Most recently, she was regional director of sales and marketing for General Motors of Canada.

Houston Rockets Hires Julian Duncan As Chief Marketing And Strategy Officer

Julian Duncan has joined the Houston Rockets as chief marketing and strategy officer, the NBA recently announced.

Previously, Duncan was chief marketing officer and senior vice president of social responsibility and impact for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Fox Entertainment Elevates Darren Schillace To President, Marketing

According to Deadline, Fox Entertainment has promoted Darren Shillace to president of marketing.

Most recently, Shillace served as executive vice president of marketing.

Prior to Fox, he was senior vice president of marketing strategy for ABC Television and vice president of marketing for the Oprah Winfrey Network, respectively.

Sprinkles Cupcakes Names Michelle Wong First Chief Marketing Officer

Sprinkles Cupcakes has appointed Michelle Wong to the newly created role of chief marketing officer.

Wong joins Sprinkles from Dailey, where she was the first female president and managing partner.

Hyundai Canada Taps Christine Smith As Director Of Marketing

Hyundai Canada has hired Christine Smith as director of marketing, according to Markets Insider.

Smith previously served as senior vice president of client business at INNOCEAN Worldwide Canada, where she oversaw integrated brand and retail campaigns for the Hyundai and Genesis brands in Canada.

Lazard Asset Management Appoints Joanne Choi As First Chief Marketing Officer

Joanne Choi was named Lazard Asset Management’s first managing director and chief marketing officer.  

Choi joins Lazard from Goldman Sachs, where she spent the last 18 years, most recently as head of marketing.

IDEO Names Detria Williamson As Chief Marketing Officer

IDEO has hired Detria Williamson as chief marketing officer, reports Apparel News.

Most recently, Williamson was managing director, digital transformation and global inclusive customer experience lead for Accenture Interactive. Prior to that, she served as chief marketing officer of Vestergaard.

Netflix Fires Three Marketing Executives Over Disparaging Remarks About Their Peers Sent Via Slack

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has dismissed three senior film marketing executives after it was discovered that they were criticizing their peers via a public company Slack channel.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed the issue in a LinkedIn message:

“Very early on at Netflix, Reed Hastings wrote a culture memo for the company with Patty McCord, then our head of talent. At its heart was the notion of integrity and feedback, which they described as ‘you only say things about fellow employees you say to their face.’”

“What happened here was unfortunately not simply venting on Slack or a single conversation. These were critical, personal comments made over several months about their peers (not their management as suggested by The Hollywood Reporter)–including during meetings when those peers were talking or presenting.”

Using Social Commerce To Influence Your Brand With Jane.com’s Meagen Johnson

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Meagen Johnson is the SVP of Marketing at Jane.com, a curated fashion marketplace with more than 2,000 brands and thousands of products released daily and only available for 72 hours.

In this episode, Meagen and I dive into her passion for marketing beginning in high school, how she ended up at Jane.com, and the trends she sees in the clothing and fashion industry and social media. 

Meagen believes the biggest opportunity for today’s marketers is to leverage social commerce not just for sales but also for brand awareness. She says marketers need to push to be different and that “what got you here today is definitely not going to get you where you need to go.” What should you be doing to not fall behind? Test, experiment, try different things to see if they work and align with your brand. How does the concept of “shopetainment” and influencers fit into this? Listen to their conversation to find out.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How to stand out and drive growth in a competitive marketplace
  • The evolution of social commerce 
  • How being different can feel more personal

Key Highlights:

  • [01:20] Why Meagen doesn’t eat fruits and vegetables
  • [02:55] Falling in love with marketing in high school 
  • [07:45] What is Jane.com?
  • [10:01] The competition of marketing to women
  • [11:20] Shopetainment: what works and what doesn’t work?
  • [16:00] Breaking down influencers, creators, and affiliates
  • [20:39] Meagen’s advice for marketers 
  • [22:35] An experience that defines Meagen, makes her who she is today
  • [25:25] Meagen’s advice for her younger self 
  • [26:18] What marketers should be learning more about
  • [28:32] The brands and organizations Meagen follows 
  • [30:11] What Meagen thinks is the biggest threat and best opportunity for marketers 

Resources Mentioned: 

Subscribe to the podcast:

Connect with the Guest:

Connect with Marketing Today and Alan Hart:

Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on opportunities around brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine startups.

Bloomberg Names Jason Angrisani Global Chief Marketing Officer

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This week in leadership updates, Bloomberg has named Jason Angrisani global chief marketing officer, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux appoints Luke DeRouen as its first chief marketing officer, Qualcomm hires Don McGuire as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Regent Seven Seas Cruises executive vice president, sales marketing, Randall Soy steps down and more.

Bloomberg L.P. Appoints Jason Angrisani Global Chief Marketing Officer

Bloomberg L.P. has named Jason Angrisani global chief marketing officer. Angrisani first joined the organization in December 2010 as global head of marketing for FX, economics and commodities.

Since that time, according to a press release, Angrisani has played a key role in building Bloomberg L.P.’s marketing department, including implementing a global planning framework, integrating marketing automation systems with the company’s proprietary technology and more.

Prior to joining Bloomberg, Angrisani spent five years at Ogilvy & Mather in leadership positions across various business sectors of the IBM brand account.

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux Names Luke DeRouen First-Ever Chief Marketing Officer

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux has appointed Luke DeRouen to the newly created role of chief marketing officer.

DeRouen previously served as vice president, brand experience and engagement, for Buffalo Wild Wings. Prior to that, he spent four years at Arby’s in brand director positions.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises Executive Vice President, Sales And Marketing, Randall Soy, Steps Down

Randall Soy, executive vice president of sales and marketing, for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, is exiting the company after over three decades of leading the US sales strategy.

The US sales team will report to Shawn Tubman, who will become senior vice president of sales.

Qualcomm Taps Don McGuire As Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

Don McGuire, Qualcomm’s senior vice president of global product and technology, has been named senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

McGuire joined Qualcomm in 2016 from Intel, where he led global marketing strategy, campaigns and messaging supporting their client computing business, according to a press release.

McGuire was previously also the founder and chief marketing officer of Panelfly.

Union Square Hospitality Hires Marissa Freeman As Chief Marketing Officer

Union Square Hospitality has tapped Hewlett Packard’s chief brand officer, Marissa Freeman, as chief marketing officer.

Freeman was with HP for eight years. Previously, she was senior vice president of brand strategy and marketing communications for Time Warner Cable.

Oceania Cruises Executive Vice President Sales Marketing, James Rodriguez, Exits

James Rodriguez, Oceania Cruises’ executive vice president of sales marketing, has left the company after 19 years.

Oceania Cruises has not named a replacement.

Listen In: Got Purpose?

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Jon Rose is the founder of Waves 4 Water (https://www.wavesforwater.org/), an international humanitarian aid organization that provides access to clean drinking water for developing communities and disaster zones around the world. Waves 4 Water has programs in 40 countries and has helped provide access to clean water for an estimated 4 million people.

Rose joins Listen In to discuss the true integration of purpose into your organization and the relationship between purpose and problem-solving. Jon also shares the path that led him to Waves 4 Water, from his early days in Laguna with the beach as his babysitter to his first trip to Indonesia with water filters in tow.

About Listen In: Each week on Listen In, Bretz and a rotating cast of hosts from Ayzenberg will interview experts in the field of marketing and advertising to explore uncharted territory together. The goal is to provide the a.network audience with actionable insights, enabling them to excel in their field.

Pokémon GO Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary

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After COVID-19 forced Pokémon Go to adopt a virtual format for its anniversary last year, Niantic is making up for the lost time. To celebrate Pokémon Go’s fifth anniversary, the company has an array of events and marketing tie-ins planned for trainers, including its two-day Pokémon GO Fest with Google Play as the official sponsor, a partnership with US Verizon stores, a new official TikTok channel and more.

To kick off the month-long celebration, Pokémon has teamed up with Verizon to turn stores across the US into PokéStops and Gyms, where trainers can unlock exclusive in-game content and get access to special events. These include limited edition giveaways and scheduled raids that give users a chance to catch legendary Pokémon.

Verizon is also giving trainers who visit stores an exclusive bundle of 2x Premium Raid Passes, 1x Lucky Egg, 1x Incense and 20x Poké Balls. Before heading over, trainers can check the Pokémon GO app to see if their local Verizon store is a Gym or PokéStop. Once inside, they’ll be directed to scan a QR code with their phone to register and receive the bundle. Trainers need not be Verizon customers to participate and can expect more information on raids to be released once per week until August 4.

Pokémon GO is also hosting GO Battle League Season 8, a global matching system that lets trainers battle each other around the world and earn rewards; the season will run through the end of August. Plus, all throughout the month of July, trainers can experience different Pokémon appearing in five-star raids.

The anniversary coincides with Pokémon GO’s foray into TikTok. Since the launch of the channel on June 25, the account has posted six videos and amassed about 97,000 followers and 333,000 likes. One video, which taps into TikTok’s viral ‘Tell me without telling me’ challenge, already received 4.5 million views and over 3,000 comments.

These events are all in preparation for Pokémon GO Fest 2021, taking place on July 17 and 18. Pokémon GO is treating users to a price slash in tickets, down from $15 to $5 for one ticket, which affords them access to both days of the event.

With Google Play as the official sponsor, Google Play members will get four times Google Play points on all purchases made in Pokémon GO, including tickets. Trainers using Android devices on Saturday, July 17 will also be eligible for an exclusive sponsored gift that will enhance their Pokémon GO Fest experience. Lastly, trainers in the US and Canada can purchase a branded T-shirt from pokemoncenter.com.

On day 1 of the event, Pokémon GO is bringing back themed hourly habitats from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., during which time trainers can catch certain Pokémon more frequently in the wild. In addition, trainers will get a free shirt avatar item and may be able to witness the debut of one of seven new Pokémon.

Day 1 of the festival will also feature a music component that lets trainers help Professor Willow and the team leaders throw a concert by choosing certain Pokémon to join the in-game event. Trainers can complete Special Research in exchange for special rewards. They’ll also have the chance to determine their in-game music, with new songs created by Pokémon music producer Junichi Masuda.

Also on Day 1, Pokémon Go is bringing back the global challenge arena, where fans can team up to complete a challenge each hour, which, if they complete in time, will earn them a bonus for the remainder of the hour. Ticket holders can complete four Collection Challenges.  

Day 2 is dedicated to raids, where ticket holders will be able to earn an extra 10,000 XP in raid rewards after completing a Raid Battle, spin gym photo discs to earn up to 10 Raid Passes, complete timed research to earn eight Remote Raid Passes and pick up a free event bundle containing three remote raid passes.

This year also marks Pokémon’s 25th anniversary. To commemorate a quarter-century, Niantic is releasing another Pokemon mobile game called UNITE in September and two main-core games for the Nintendo Switch later this year, according to 9 to 5 Mac.

T-Mobile And MLB Create Augmented Reality App For Home Run Derby

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T-Mobile has announced a partnership with Major League Baseball that will give fans a chance to experience the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Denver’s Coors Field through a new app called MLB AR (augmented reality) that the companies created together ahead of MLB All-Star Week. In addition, fans will be able to see the batting practice and the Derby in real-time via 5G-integrated cameras mounted atop players’ hats and catchers’ masks.

On July 12 at 8 p.m. ET, fans, not just T-Mobile customers, can watch Coors Field in 3D while getting access to game stats. Perks for T-Mobile customers with a 5G device include the ability to replay home runs and unlock bonus stats like hang time, exit, velocity and max height. T-Mobile and MLB have plans to evolve the partnership by rolling out new features and equipping other stadiums with the same immersive technology.

T-Mobile’s 5G-embedded cameras will be affixed to players’ hats and catchers’ masks, virtually placing fans onto the field. This marks the first time these cameras are being integrated into a professional sports league’s jewel event. Created in partnership with ActionStreamer, the 5G cameras are also the first to deploy live, synchronized HD video and audio over T-Mobile’s 5G network. To top it off retired MLB All-Star Hunter Pence and MLB Network host Lauren Gardner will be hosting T-Mobile 5G BP online, starting July 12 online and across all MLB social channels.

Engaging fans a step further, in the days leading up to the Home Run Derby, T-Mobile is hosting activations in-person and on social media. Starting July 7, fans can enter their game predictions about who hits the longest home run for a chance to win $100,000 via MLB’s Brackett Challenge, which requires providing an email address.

Next, from July 9-13, fans who visit T-Mobile’s hologram studio at the Colorado Convention Center can project their own life-size hologram into a baseball card in real-time then share it to their social media profile.

T-Mobile is also transforming one of its Denver stores into an ‘All-Star Bat Shop’ where fans can customize and professionally engrave their own 18” bat with a logo from one of the 30 MLB clubs for free. T-Mobile says “special MLB legends” will be making appearances.

The partnership comes with a good cause too—T-Mobile will be donating $10,000 (and up to half a million dollars) for every home run hit with a magenta ball during bonus time at the Derby to the T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program. The Program pays Little League Baseball and Softball registration fees for under-resourced families.

For years, T-Mobile has offered free baseball streaming to those on its network. Ahead of the league’s opening day, April 1, the carrier gave T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro customers the ability to access the MLB.TV streaming service for free through its T-Mobile Tuesdays app.

Last year, MLB canceled the remainder of its Spring Training games and delayed the start of the 2020 regular season due to COVID-19. MLB hadn’t started its season on July 4 due to the pandemic, and when a shortened season did start on July 23 no fans were allowed.

Marriott Bonvoy’s New Global Campaign Calls On Consumers To Embrace The Healing Power Of Travel

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The hotel industry is expected to close out 2021 down 500,000 jobs, a prediction that has prompted the American Hotel & Lodging Association to team up with Unite Here to call on Congress to pass the Save Hotel Jobs Act. The bill aims to support workers until travel returns to pre-pandemic levels.

Though half of Americans over age 12 are fully vaccinated and while some are ready to hit the road again, business travel—the largest source of hotel revenue—is down 85 percent and isn’t expected to slowly return until the end of this year.

Amid the industry’s sluggish rebound and growing adoption of contactless check-in services and digital keys, Marriott’s rewards program turned travel platform, Bonvoy, has launched a global campaign called “Power of Travel” calling on consumers to embrace the healing power of travel after a year of being confined to the walls of their homes.

With the tagline, “Where can we take you?” the campaign marks Marriott’s biggest full-funnel campaign and will come to life in an omnichannel media strategy comprising streaming and television spots, in-flight entertainment, display, digital, mobile, paid and owned social, and out-of-home placements.

The campaign’s 60-second spot features a diverse cast engaged in heartfelt travel moments with loved ones in international locales including Shanghai, Barcelona and Los Angeles. According to a press release, every aspect of the film was intended:

“Casting features a range of age, body type, race, ethnicity, skin tones, sexual orientation, abilities, gender, and more; wardrobe is done authentically through styling and clothing choices; cultural and experiential cues with key signifiers are weaved throughout; filming locations represent a global mindset; and storylines portray diverse perspectives and experiences, underscoring how travel is transformative – no matter where you come from, what you look like, who you love, and what your abilities are.”

The spots began on June 24, airing during the NBA Finals, and will also run during the Olympics. Additional TV and streaming highlights include Wimbledon and ESPN Monday Night Football. Some travel category firsts include Marriott utilizing shoppable connected TV to leverage mobile quick response codes with Hulu Gateway Go and Disney+, custom placements with HBO Max Brand Block and an ad takeover within a single show on Hulu.

Marriott is targeting Gen Z and millennials through mobile-first placements, including augmented reality filters on Snapchat. In collaboration with Pinterest, two storefronts in New York City’s Soho neighborhood will feature campaign creative that employs Pinterest’s technology that takes consumers to an immersive in-app quiz where they can learn more about the hotels within the Bonvoy portfolio.

Across social, Marriott is inviting travelers to share their images and videos via the #TravelMakesUs hashtag on Instagram and TikTok, the latter platform being a first for Marriott Bonvoy.

The “Power of Travel” is Marriott’s second campaign since COVID-19; the first was a global holiday campaign that launched in December last year. So far, it has launched in the US and Canada and will soon deploy in China, Australia, Europe and more international markets.

According to a press release, the campaign will extend into the fall with a mini docu-series that shows real traveler stories as they embark on journeys for the first time in a year.

Harris Poll research released in mid-May found that 77 percent of Americans plan to take a trip this summer and that 29 percent planned a leisure trip last summer. Fifty-two percent of Americans expect they’ll continue to have flexibility with remote school or work throughout the fall, which could mean more opportunities for travel during and beyond the back-to-school season.

While some hotel properties have yet to bring back their employees, others are busy filling roles to keep up with demand. One consideration most hotels have in common now, however, is whether their guests are willing to accept fewer services than before the pandemic—like daily turndown and breakfast buffets—according to analysts. This new shift could mean a smaller hotel workforce in the years following the industry’s rebound.