What Value Creativity?

By Pamela Carvell, Hotel Marketing Association (HMA) Life President

March 2025

Introduction

Creativity is defined as ‘the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas’ (1) and the words ‘original’ and ‘unusual’ seem to dominate definitions of ‘creative’ as an adjective.

But, I would like to suggest that in Marketing terms ‘creative’ means something that, in addition, grabs attention, provokes discussion, is memorable and in many cases engages on an emotional level with the audience. The design of a logo, slogan or ad is, in itself, creative and those that are highly creative produce levels of engagement with the brand and its products in a way that those lacking in creativity won’t. And yet, slogan use in advertising has declined and is especially low on social media channels. (2) Have the needs to be topical and current, coupled with the desire to deliver personalised content based on the mass of data at our disposal, produced less creativity in Marketing?

Background

If you think of successful brands such as Apple, Nike, McDonald’s and in the UK Greggs, you can usually appreciate the creativity that went into not just the logo, but also their strapline. ‘Think Different’, ‘Just Do It’ , ‘I’m lovin’ it’ and ‘Always Fresh. Always Tasty.’ are instantly recognisable.

Recently the ASA and YouGov researched the UK’s most memorable ad slogans. Nike and McDonald’s not surprisingly took 2nd and 3rd spot, with Tesco’s ‘Every little helps’ being most memorable. Memorable slogans don’t just become part of our language, but also become incorporated in shared experiences. And from the Marketer’s perspective they significantly boost brand awareness, especially when sung, and mean that you don’t need to constantly remind the audience what your brand stands for! (3)

Great brands also use creativity in their regular promotions. ‘Order like Stormzy’ reflecting the fact that McDonalds currently have a Stormzy meal in a special red and black box certainly created a media storm when it launched.

When passengers arrive at Newcastle airport they are greeted by a very credible poster, welcoming you to ‘Greggs International’. I often wonder how many international visitors actually think that is the name of the airport?

Photograph take by author at Newcastle Airport

What about hotel brands?

Sadly there are no slogans that immediately come to mind and are so distinctive that they are instantly associated with the particular brand. Nor is there a particular creative approach that makes that brand stand out from the crowd. And it is a very crowded marketplace with IHG having 19 hotel brands, Hilton 24 and Marriott 35! With so many brands it is also a huge challenge to communicate the differences to the consumer. Long gone are the days when every brand had clearly defined global brand standards that were rarely waivered from and that could be simply communicated in advertising and other marketing promotions. Nowadays it’s so much more about the experience that you will deliver and the uniqueness of your location.

Can you name the brand?

• It Matters Where You Stay.

• Where Can We Take You?

• Be More Here.

• It’s Good Not to Be Home.

• True Hospitality for Good.

• Including the brand name makes it easier …..Relax. It’s Holiday Inn!

Creativity in Hotel Marketing

All of the above delivers a unique opportunity for hotels to be creative in their individual marketing, and thus stand out from the crowd. This year, in the Hotel Marketing Awards, we launched an HMA-endorsed category for the first time ever with the HMA Creative Excellence Award. As Marketers we are concerned that data analysis and the personalisation that it enables, coupled with the need to stay current and topical on Social Media channels by always having something to say or post, mean that Marketing is becoming very process-driven, to the detriment of creativity. And yet it is the creativity that will foster brand loyalty, memorability, an emotional connection and drive business. We had some great examples of creativity from individual hotels in the 2024 Hotel Marketing Awards, and we share 3 of these examples below.

Hart Shoreditch Hotel, London won Best Local Community Marketing by working with local artists and charities, and as such solidified its position as a design-led hotel through this holistic approach to community engagement and cultural enrichment. Creativity on various levels that will be memorable for many years to come.

Luxury Family Hotels may only have 5 properties but they won Email Marketing Campaign of the Year, as they came up with a wonderful theme to reach their various target markets, in ‘The Little Things’. They use this theme to make compelling offers, and the home page of their website is still headed up with ‘Time For the Little Things’. Simple, but very effective and it produced a significant uplift in revenue.

Rudding Park, an independent hotel near Harrogate won Best Integrated Marketing Campaign for their ‘Follow the Christmas Stars’ campaign, which was about creating magical and unforgettable moments for their guests. They combined creativity, vision, passion & partnerships to produce an uplift in revenue as well as great guest feedback.

Lindeth Howe Hotel, Bowness-on-Windermere

More recently PicPR  came up with a great creative idea to capture attention and spark conversations to drive bookings. They took a simple guest insight from this Lake District Hotel and turned it into a PR opportunity to exploit.

Cyclists were frequently staying at the hotel and wanted a secure place for their high-end bikes. Rather than just accommodating the request, the agency built a campaign around it – ‘Bed for Your Bike.’ A playful photoshoot saw bikes being tucked into bed, joining their owners for breakfast and even receiving spa treatments. This generated a mix of national and regional press coverage, including The Sun, alongside media coverage in nearly 50 regional titles like The Yorkshire Post and Lancashire Evening Post. Social media engagement also surged, with the hotel seeing a direct uplift in enquiries thanks to the eye-catching imagery.

“It’s proof that creativity doesn’t have to be complicated – it just needs to be smart, relevant and executed well. A memorable idea not only drives immediate interest but also reinforces brand values, while positioning hotels as fun and thoughtful, with a guest-centric approach.

So if you're looking to boost awareness and bookings, the right creative spark might be all it takes. You can watch this quick one-minute video explaining our ‘bed for your bike’ initiative further if you'd like to learn more.”  Says Lloyd Hughes, Brand Director, Pic PR.

Conclusion

Creativity is a key component of every P of Marketing, from the product and packaging design, to your pricing, to how and where you sell your product and of course the advertising, branding and all other methods of promotion. As current focus is very much on AI and data there is a risk that we overlook creativity, and yet a brilliant creative idea will not just produce emotional engagement, but also a memorable connection with your brand, and what your hotel stands for. It also, as winners of last year’s Hotel Marketing Awards have demonstrated, produces a significant uplift in revenue.

This article has been written by Pamela Carvell for the Hotel Marketing Association and may be reproduced in part or in full so long as full credit is given to the HMA and a link to the full article included.

March 2025.

1.     Cambridge Dictionary

2.     Kantar Link Database

3.     Kantar The Branding Power of Slogans.