Hyatt's World Chooses Assembly as New Agency for Media Relations
Scoop: World of Hyatt Taps Assembly as Its New Media Analyst of Record
World of Hyatt, the hotel chain's guest loyalty program, has selected Assembly as its new media analyst of record, exclusively sharing the news with ADWEEK.
With this move, Assembly will focus on boosting awareness, engagement, and bookings across World of Hyatt's diverse brand lineup, such as luxury and boutique hotels, as well as its health-centric search platform, FIND.
The agency's mission includes propelling the brand's global "Be More Here" campaign, which encourages customers to savor every moment by indulging in the program's travel perks.
Until now, World of Hyatt has employed a media strategy that involved deploying multiple agencies for different regions and brands. However, the company is now seeking to consolidate buying and planning efforts for increased oversight and efficiency, asserted Laurie Blair, World of Hyatt's Senior Vice President of Global Marketing.
"As we expand both domestically and worldwide, the judicious use of first-party data is becoming increasingly important," Blair stated. "We couldn't share that data with every media agency."
"Concentrating audience management and strategic planning enables us to be more effective and efficient with our marketing dollar," she added, declining to reveal the account's total billings. Industry estimates predict that Hyatt's 2024 media spending reached $15 million.
The Selection Process
The selection process kicked off in November 2024 and wrapped up last month, under the management of Mercer Island Group. Six agencies were involved in the review, though World of Hyatt declined to disclose their names.
Blair revealed that World of Hyatt was seeking a media analyst to guide its loyalty program evolution from largely transactional to a more accurate reflection of its diverse brand and experiences portfolio.
Historically, Hyatt's media buying has primarily targeted digital channels. Yet, the brand is now moving towards a full-funnel strategy to boost its presence in areas like video and out-of-home advertising.
"As we analyzed our global, regional, and local strategies, it was evident that one of the next steps following the launch of "Be More Here" involved fine-tuning our media planning and buying to ensure a holistic approach," explained Blair.
Jennie Peelle, the global head of media, was drawn to Assembly's digitally-driven, data-oriented approach – one that matched the strategies World of Hyatt was pursuing – and its understanding of the brand's media consolidation strategy.
A Success for Assembly
Jill Kelly, Assembly's North America CEO, expressed her delight in working with World of Hyatt,claiming it aligns perfectly with the agency's values and vision for growth.
Kelly asserts that Assembly will tap into the omnichannel digital landscape, integrating a myriad of content formats to support Hyatt's local marketing endeavors. Key success metrics for the partnership include monitoring brand health, engagement rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
The partnership adds to Assembly's roster of clients, which includes Lenovo, Brooks Running, Fossil Group, and Al-Futtaim Automotive. Their first media campaign for World of Hyatt is scheduled to launch this summer.
Enrichment Insights
- Brand's approach has shifted from being primarily transactional to better reflecting its portfolio of brands and experiences.
- The media strategy aims to offer greater efficiency and effectiveness by consolidating services with one agency.
- First-party data will be leveraged to create personalized marketing campaigns.
- Key success metrics include tracking brand health, engagement rates, and return on ad spend.
- Assembly's omnichannel expertise will be essential in creating a seamless guest experience across various media platforms.
- Assembly, the newly appointed media analyst of record for World of Hyatt, will aim to grow awareness, engagement, and bookings across the hotel chain's diverse brand portfolio, which includes luxury and boutique hotels, health-centric search platforms like FIND, and more.
- In light of World of Hyatt's consolidated buying and planning efforts, Assembly's technology-driven, data-oriented approach aligns perfectly with the brand's goal of increased efficiencies and oversight.
- Jennie Peelle, the global head of media at World of Hyatt, selected Assembly for its understanding of the brand's evolution from a transactional loyalty program to one that better reflects its portfolio of brands and experiences.
- Assembly's upcoming media campaign for World of Hyatt, set to launch this summer, will target various platforms including digital, video, and out-of-home advertising, as part of the brand's move towards a full-funnel strategy.
