Laura DavidsonLaura Davidson
As our marketplace grows ever more crowded, agencies are looking everywhere for new ways to be heard. We’re testing everything from hard-selling online auctions that shout at our customers to branded content that whispers “trust me” so softly it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s talking. Among these many innovative strategies, one that is working particularly well for our agency is strategic partnerships. We are successfully playing matchmaker, pairing off our clients, not just with those companies and products working in the travel space, but also tech innovators, perfumers and toy companies that, at first sight, share no common interests.

O'Dwyer's July '16 Travel & Tourism PR MagazineThis article is featured in O'Dwyer's July '16 Travel & Tourism PR Magazine

When one of our clients, Residence Inn, rebranded in its 40th anniversary year, it turned its focus to the Millennial business traveler. To attract the attention of this famously evasive audience, LDPR sought out a strategic partner that spoke the generational vernacular and played off the Millennial romance with digital technology in a way that was edgy and newsy enough to still be cool. Blippar, an app that allows you to “blip” everyday objects and images through your smart phone camera, isn’t exactly a household name and — as yet, doesn’t have a travel application — but it was the perfect fit.

When Residence Inn launched its new experiential social gathering concept, The Mix, LDPR asked Blippar to create customized “augmented reality” experiences at the four launch events in LA, Boston, Austin and Washington, D.C. “Blippable” coasters unlocked trivia, beer pairings, and shareable “selfie” digital postcards. Local celebrities in each market hosted the events, and encouraged attendees to share the fun on social media using the #InnTheMix hashtag.

The founders — a musician and an architect — were so inspired by the Scottish Highlands and the country’s ancient Celtic culture that they created the Hylnds fragrance line. It’s said that smell is our most evocative sense, and one whiff of Bitter Rose, Broken Spear (one of the three fragrances in the line) promises to flood the synapses with thoughts of “smelted iron, bitter rose, and melancholy thistle.” Another, Isle Ryder, supposedly whisks you away to the glens scented with spruce, fir, and wildflowers.Destinations are usually promoted through their visuals — videos, photos and film — and sometimes through their tastes (e.g., food and drink). But how many are sold through their smells? When Visit Scotland launched its #ScotSpirit campaign in February, which positioned the country as a sensuous place that stirs the soul, LDPR introduced the campaign to the US media with a multi-sensory event that included Scottish cuisine and its famous spirit (courtesy of Balvenie, one of the great whisky brands, and a sponsor of the event). But we also included something unexpected: the distinctive aromas of Scotland, captured by Brooklyn-based indie perfumers D.S. & Durga.

Atlantis

When you think of Atlantis, chances are that building Legos is not the first activity that comes to mind. Yet Lego became the perfect partner when the famous Bahamian resort launched its AKA Kids Club and was looking for a new way to get its family message heard.

Atlantis partnered with both Lego and Jet Blue to host a “JetAdventure” superfam that brought 50 media and mom bloggers — and their kids — to the resort on a JetBlue charter flight along with Lego master builders and a five-foot Lego scuba diver. LDPR even got Toys R Us in the action to host a kick-off event. Atlantis opened a dedicated “Lego construction room” at its new Kids Club, and hosted Lego master builder camps. By tapping into Jet Blue and Lego’s resources, social media outlets and fan base, Atlantis’ AKA kids club saw a 42 percent increase in visitors and helped to secure Atlantis the coveted “Number-one Family Beach Resort” award from Parents Magazine.

So, the next time you play matchmaker and use a strategic partnership to amplify your clients’ message, keep in mind that similar backgrounds aren’t always an indicator of success. In PR, as in love, the union of two very different partners often produces the most interesting results.

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Laura Davidson is President of Laura Davidson Public Relations (LDPR).