Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Hotels.com took over Clear Channel’s entire digital estate last Saturday with the launch of a fictitious range of hotel-scented perfumes (including ‘Touché de Fresh Sheets’, ‘Essence de Breakfast Buffet’ and ‘Eau de Free Toiletries’).
It was live for a single day but still generated over 7 million impacts. This is the second time a single brand has taken ownership of Clear Channel’s entire DOOH estate, following Camelot’s New Year’s Day campaign in January.
Hotels.com cult character Captain Obvious unveiled the brand’s avant-garde range of hotel-scented perfumes. Creatives at Crispin Porter + Bogusky London have worked with their Hotels.com client to concoct four exquisite fragrances, which embody the perks that Hotels.com – the traveller’s obvious choice – offers its guest.
Four executions parodying run-of-the-mill perfume ads – ‘Touche de Fresh Sheets’, ‘Essence de Breakfast Buffet’, ‘Whiff of Free Wifi’ and ‘Eau de Free Toiletries’ – ran in both subtle and full motion digital format across the UK, from Aberdeen to Southampton last Saturday.
In a deal negotiated and brokered by media agency m/Six that leverages Clear Channel’s entire UK digital estate – close to 6,000 DOOH screens – this is the biggest April Fools’ DOOH activation in the UK. This April 1 DOOH take-over is the latest in a list of digital plays for Hotels.com, including the award-winning ‘Skip Ad’ spots, and Christmas 2016’s ‘Obvious Charades’ played via a Facebook chatbot.
Vincenzo Bruno, Brand Manager EMEA for Hotels.com brand told us “The Captain Obvious character allows us to deliver on a basic message – we’re the obvious choice for online bookings – whilst also entertaining the public with a bit of tongue-in-cheek digital kookiness.”
Captain Obvious has for decades been a pop culture reference in the US, brought to life by Hotels.com in 2014 in the US market in the guise of a super fan – the Captain. Captain Obvious made his first appearance for the brand in the UK in 2016.
Ad Agency Creative Credits:
ECD: Dave Buonaguidi
Creatives: Olivia Adda, Bryn Jones-Walters
Head of Client Services: Charles Faircloth
Account Director: Tania DelamotteMedia Agency Credits:
Client Services Director: Mike Enness
Planning Director: Christian Dam
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