Creating Brand Identity: Hyatt Resorts

KWE Group launched a highly creative, multi-faceted communications campaign integrating public and media relations, marketing support initiatives, and special events to establish a distinctive and compelling brand identity for Hyatt Resorts. As a result of our award-winning program, which generated feature stories in major print and broadcast outlets nationwide, Hyatt Resorts experienced a double-digit increase in sales for its 17 properties.

Hyatt Resorts retained KWE Group to enhance its leadership position in the highly competitive leisure travel market. Although the resorts had once boasted an unparalleled reputation for its unprecedented range of innovative programs and services targeted to travelers in all demographic groups, it was now competing for media coverage with dozens of major international hotel companies, cruise vacations and the world's luxury resorts.

Our challenge was to create a distinctive identity for Hyatt Resorts that leveraged its recognized strengths in the travel market and positioned it as the undisputed industry leader in developing such innovative marketing programs as Camp Hyatt, Golf Hyatt and Hyatt Vacations. At the same time, we needed to develop new creative strategies to directly reach consumers with news about the highly distinctive offerings available at the resort's 17 properties.

We created and executed a number of special events and marketing promotions to reinforce name recognition of Hyatt Resorts under the new brand umbrella. Among the highly targeted tactics that formed the building blocks of our program were

• A comprehensive media audit aimed at assessing how the leading travel, lifestyle and special interest press view Hyatt Resorts.
• A high-visibility event, "The Hyatt Virtual Resort," designed to recreate the experience of a Hyatt vacation for the leading New York City - based media and their families. This two-day interactive event featured such highlights as virtual surfing, snorkeling and skiing; and even a simulated first - class section of an American Airlines plane. Professional development seminars on such topics as honeymoon travel and "soft" adventure were also offered.
• The travel industry's first "progressive" golf tournament, encouraging golf writers to participate in a year-long golf tournament from any Hyatt Resort
• A national consumer contest inviting participants to submit their nominations for the celebrity that they believe needs a vacation the most
• An on-going series of press trips to Hyatt Resorts for the key travel, lifestyle and special interest media.
• A vigorous program of one-on-one interviews for Hyatt Vice President Victor Lopez, with the leading consumer news, lifestyle and travel industry media.

The media's response to the agency's campaign, which won the prestigious Silver Anvil Award of the Public Relations Society of America, was tremendous. More than 120 members of the press attended the "Virtual Resort" event, which was broadcast live on NBC's "The Today Show." Hyatt Resorts earned accolades from a vast array of international travel and lifestyle writers worldwide and experienced a double-digit increase in sales for its 17 properties.