The Golden Rule.
When I was little the most important lesson I believe anyone ever taught me was known as the “Golden Rule”—that you should treat others the way you would want to be treated. In a world that is often depicted as mean and cynical, such a rule would of course stand out. But imagine what kind of amazing place this world would be if all people actually did live by this rule.
That is exactly what the Marriott brand did in a series of their commercials from last year. Except instead of just imagining the events that could occur, they were telling stories of actual events which occurred and depicted the Golden Rule being used by their employees.
The first of the series that I saw was titled “Stranded” and shows a woman who is stranded on the side of the road during a rainstorm and has to call someone for help. The call that she makes is almost like that you would make to a friend in a time of trouble so when she is picked up and thanks the other person it seems almost as if they are friends helping one another out. It wasn't until the other woman said “Let’s check you in,” as they walked through the hotel doors that it became apparent that this was an advertisement.
The second in the series is similar to the first and is called “Broken Bus.” But in this instance a man calls somewhere discussing how there will be sixteen people in their group and over the phone call he asks if the other person can actually accommodate the entirety of their group on such short notice. Then he and his group, revealed to be a group of soccer players and their coaches on their way to an event, walk to their destination. Then the doors of the hotel are shown and it also become apparent that this too is an advertisement in which the hotel staff while fully booked still took in the group of boys and allowed them to use the ballroom space with whatever beds they could create.
The final short film from this series of advertisements is titled “Wonderful Day” and shows a woman practicing American sign language while she gets ready for her day. Nearly at the end of the commercial it is revealed she works at one of the Marriott hotels and she uses her sign language with a guest who complements her on how well she signs. But like the others, it isn’t until the end of the commercial that the audience is meant to understand explicitly that these are commercials.
The Marriott does a fantastic job at depicting what good content marketing is. They not only told fantastic stories about true events but also realized that this was a different way of advertising that would make them stand out against their competitors. In each instance when I came across these advertisements I was on my merry way to do some average, everyday activity (most likely homework) and I stopped in my tracks upon seeing these commercials because they looked like a short film with a cute message. Which they are in one sense, but they also spread another message for the Marriott brand. That when you are in a time of need, Marriott will be there to treat you like they would like to be treated if the roles were to be reversed.
Not only do they emphasize the kindness of their employees and the lengths they will go to in order to help you out, but they are also subtly displaying the other values they hope to promote as they have been “guided by family leadership for more than 90 years.” On their website they state that they “put people first.” But words are cheap so, through the creation of these commercials, they are able to show you how they have in the past and how they will in the future put people first. They also were subtly able to depict to their audience that they value diversity and inclusion as they cast not only women in two of these three commercials, but primarily women of color in addition to a member of the deaf community. Diversity in terms of gender, race, and ability and the inclusion of all people is also highlighted on their website.
When I stated earlier that this world is very often depicted as cynical and mean and that the Golden Rule would stick out when it is applied because of this, it should also come as no surprise why these commercials stop you in your tracks (quite literally in my case). When the world is often too cold to those who need the help, seeing these kind actions will often have that effect on you. Hopefully kindness is not a rarity one day but until then, treat people with kindness and practice the Golden Rule your mother once taught you. Marriott surely will.
That is exactly what the Marriott brand did in a series of their commercials from last year. Except instead of just imagining the events that could occur, they were telling stories of actual events which occurred and depicted the Golden Rule being used by their employees.
The first of the series that I saw was titled “Stranded” and shows a woman who is stranded on the side of the road during a rainstorm and has to call someone for help. The call that she makes is almost like that you would make to a friend in a time of trouble so when she is picked up and thanks the other person it seems almost as if they are friends helping one another out. It wasn't until the other woman said “Let’s check you in,” as they walked through the hotel doors that it became apparent that this was an advertisement.
The second in the series is similar to the first and is called “Broken Bus.” But in this instance a man calls somewhere discussing how there will be sixteen people in their group and over the phone call he asks if the other person can actually accommodate the entirety of their group on such short notice. Then he and his group, revealed to be a group of soccer players and their coaches on their way to an event, walk to their destination. Then the doors of the hotel are shown and it also become apparent that this too is an advertisement in which the hotel staff while fully booked still took in the group of boys and allowed them to use the ballroom space with whatever beds they could create.
The final short film from this series of advertisements is titled “Wonderful Day” and shows a woman practicing American sign language while she gets ready for her day. Nearly at the end of the commercial it is revealed she works at one of the Marriott hotels and she uses her sign language with a guest who complements her on how well she signs. But like the others, it isn’t until the end of the commercial that the audience is meant to understand explicitly that these are commercials.
The Marriott does a fantastic job at depicting what good content marketing is. They not only told fantastic stories about true events but also realized that this was a different way of advertising that would make them stand out against their competitors. In each instance when I came across these advertisements I was on my merry way to do some average, everyday activity (most likely homework) and I stopped in my tracks upon seeing these commercials because they looked like a short film with a cute message. Which they are in one sense, but they also spread another message for the Marriott brand. That when you are in a time of need, Marriott will be there to treat you like they would like to be treated if the roles were to be reversed.
Not only do they emphasize the kindness of their employees and the lengths they will go to in order to help you out, but they are also subtly displaying the other values they hope to promote as they have been “guided by family leadership for more than 90 years.” On their website they state that they “put people first.” But words are cheap so, through the creation of these commercials, they are able to show you how they have in the past and how they will in the future put people first. They also were subtly able to depict to their audience that they value diversity and inclusion as they cast not only women in two of these three commercials, but primarily women of color in addition to a member of the deaf community. Diversity in terms of gender, race, and ability and the inclusion of all people is also highlighted on their website.
When I stated earlier that this world is very often depicted as cynical and mean and that the Golden Rule would stick out when it is applied because of this, it should also come as no surprise why these commercials stop you in your tracks (quite literally in my case). When the world is often too cold to those who need the help, seeing these kind actions will often have that effect on you. Hopefully kindness is not a rarity one day but until then, treat people with kindness and practice the Golden Rule your mother once taught you. Marriott surely will.
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