Applied to:
This award recognizes a media campaign that has effectively promoted a brand or a group. The campaign may have been executed on any media platform (such as television, radio, newspapers, digital displays, social media, or internet) and should have demonstrated creativity, originality, and relevance to the target audience. The winning campaign will have successfully increased brand awareness and/or customer engagement, resulting in positive business impact for the hospitality brand or group.
* Brands/Groups may submit themselves or partners/agencies may submit on behalf of their clients.
The project:
Hilton’s “10-Minute TikTok” campaign redefined social media marketing by breaking the short-form video norm, creating a unique, long-format experience tailored to engage younger travelers aged 18–34. With its "It Matters Where You Stay" message, Hilton aimed to build emotional connections with an audience less likely to engage with traditional media channels. The campaign’s goal was to increase brand awareness, positive sentiment, and purchase intent while laying the groundwork for long-term loyalty.
To capture attention on TikTok, a platform known for fast-paced, short videos, Hilton partnered with Paris Hilton and seven influencers to create a 10-minute video—a bold move given the average TikTok engagement time of 21–34 seconds. Each segment was customized to reflect the influencers’ unique styles, ensuring authenticity and relevance to the platform’s audience. Viewers were incentivized to watch the entire video with a sweepstakes offering Hilton Honors points, experiences, and branded merchandise.
The campaign achieved remarkable results. It garnered over 6.5 million minutes of watch time, an unprecedented figure for a single TikTok video. The video achieved 86 times more views than the average brand on TikTok, cutting cost-per-view (CPV) by half. Brand metrics saw a 21% lift in ad recall—one of the highest in TikTok’s travel category—and a 5% increase in brand association. Purchase intent rose by 3.6 points, and the campaign generated over 605,000 engagements with a 93.5% positive sentiment rate.
Behavioral impacts included a 35% growth in Hilton’s TikTok follower base and over 100,000 sweepstakes entries, most of whom joined Hilton Honors. This increase in loyalty program members is expected to drive higher lifetime customer value.
Hilton’s “10-Minute TikTok” campaign successfully demonstrated the brand’s innovative approach to engaging the next generation of travelers while reinforcing its promise of exceptional hospitality experiences.
The Hospitality Awards celebrate innovation and excellence and highlight the most creative initiatives in a sector that is constantly and rapidly changing hospitality.
