The Ad You Stay In
Hilton
Overview
“It Matters Where You Stay,” even in the fastest-moving place on the planet – TikTok. TBWA\Chiat\Day NY helped Hilton break all of the traditional rules of the platform by creating an exceptionally long, 10-minute video. The ad draws attention to its own absurdity, making fun of the lengthy watch with the help of multiple influencers. As well as the one and only, original influencer, Paris Hilton.
The Challenge
While the rest of the travel industry is fixated on the destination, Hilton decided to prove to the world that wonderful things happen where you stay.
Settings its sights on social, Hilton wanted to encourage audiences who are always on the go to take a minute (or 10) and get a taste of Hilton’s ‘For the Stay’ brand promise. But with attention spans becoming shorter by the day, and the average video length for TikTok being 21 to 34 seconds, we needed something revolutionary.
The Solution
Hilton set out to pioneer a new type of social format that rewards people for staying.
We partnered up with Paris Hilton herself along with seven popular content creators and produced a 10-minute TikTok video – the first of its kind for any brand on the platform.
Each creator appeared in a way that matched their typical content and tone of voice. The video leaned into the platform’s story telling nature and editing style, helping it feel authentic on the platform.
We chose to execute the concept on TikTok due to the platform’s viral nature and compelling hold on Gen Z. It proved to be the perfect storm for disrupting the app’s traditional short-form videos, while also showcasing the value of ‘the Stay’ to a new audience of travelers.
The Results
“The Ad You Stay In” received 86 times more views than the average brand on TikTok. Within 24 hours of its launch, it gained 2 million views, and within a week, it had received 16 million views. As of writing, it has a total of 35.7 million views. People have spent over 6.5 million minutes watching “The Ad You Stay In,” and the campaign ecosystem, which includes creator content, has received 57.1 million views. The campaign successfully convinced 79,000 TikTokers that Hilton was worth following, leading to an audience growth of 35%. The click-through rate was 145% higher than platform norms, resulting in over 100,000 sweepstakes entries and 55,000 new Hilton Honors members.
“The Ad You Stay In” received press coverage from The Drum, Ad Age, Contagious, and Campaign US. It achieved a positive brand sentiment of 93.5%, as well as several user-generated posts applauding our TikTok. And the positivity in the comments proved to be contagious, resulting in over 605,000 engagements.
