Consider a memorable advertising marketing campaign. Obtained it? Odds are, that marketing campaign tells an important story — whether or not it’s a tearjerker Tremendous Bowl advert, a hilarious viral video, or an modern social media collab. One of the best advertising campaigns have a story that makes you are feeling one thing. And efficient model storytelling is the key to success on social media and past.
For knowledgeable recommendation, we chatted with Daniel Reynolds, Senior Vice President of International Content material, Media, and Partnerships at Hilton. Earlier than checking in to the hospitality business (pun very a lot supposed), Reynolds labored for different international manufacturers, together with Disney and Toyota. And for each model he’s labored with, storytelling has been an vital advertising technique.
“How one can lengthen the story of a model in new and completely different codecs has at all times been a key throughline,” he shares. Hilton’s storytelling is genuine and provoking: assume pictures and movies taken by actual lodge visitors, horror tales from the competitors, and partnerships with celebrities like (duh) Paris Hilton.
Learn on for tried-and-true advertising strategies and examples of name storytelling from Reynolds and his workforce at Hilton.
What’s model storytelling, and why does it matter?
Model storytelling makes use of a story to speak a message. As an alternative of easy promotion (for instance, a billboard saying, Purchase This Product!), model storytelling makes use of emotion to encourage audiences to interact (like, say, a humorous video that illustrates why you should purchase this product).
“You aren’t simply saying the identical factor time and again, like an promoting format,” Reynolds explains. “You’re recognizing and valuing the connection that your audiences have with manufacturers.”
Within the hospitality business, competitors is fierce, and Reynolds shares that model storytelling helps Hilton’s content material advertising efforts stand other than the remaining. “It’s so vital, in in the present day’s world, to interrupt by,” he says. Hilton’s storytelling will increase model consciousness, fosters buyer loyalty, and even helps interact audiences who aren’t planning to journey.
How Hilton crafts its tales: 5 pillars to success
1. Authenticity, relatability, and emotional connection
Hilton’s advertising workforce goals to carry a real, honest vibe to their social media content material. To try this, Reynolds says it’s vital to remain true to the model’s values. “Our guiding mild is about creating an important keep expertise,” he says. “That lets us anchor ourselves and actually present up in a manner that feels genuine.”
This Instagram Reel sharing Hilton bartenders’ favourite drinks and who they craft them for is a superb instance.
The Reel demonstrates how Hilton’s social advertising caters to completely different members of its audience. The “assembly that would have been an e-mail” will ring very true for visitors who’re touring on enterprise.
“We serve a wide range of different-sized companies, from giant international firms all the way down to small- and medium-sized companies,” says Reynolds. Consequently, a portion of social content material is dedicated to the Hilton for Enterprise journey administration and loyalty program.
One other key demographic for Hilton is households; and performance is important for households. “One of many issues that we heard from households a few years in the past was when travelling with children, it’s actually tough to slot in one room,” says Reynolds. “It’s tough to guide a second room and never know in the event that they join.”
To resolve this, Hilton launched a product known as Confirmed Connecting Rooms by Hilton, and shared relatable, humorous narratives on social media to unfold the phrase.
Luxurious-seekers are additionally prioritized by Hilton’s advertising workforce — a lot of the pictures and movies splashed throughout their manufacturers’ social feeds embrace picturesque panoramas, spreads of delicious-looking meals, and really relaxed, completely happy folks.
Supply: @hiltonhotels
Reynolds factors out that, even for individuals who aren’t particularly trying to find luxurious journey, telling the story of a luxurious expertise is relatable on an aspirational foundation: many individuals are “simply dreaming of getting that escape second and what their subsequent day might appear to be,” he says.
It might sound apparent, however the easiest way to return throughout as genuine when model storytelling is to inform genuine tales. Hilton’s workforce efficiently did this in a video highlighting tales from its efforts to supply room nights for these displaced by the Los Angeles wildfires in early 2025.
Sharing photos of donation drives, knowledge on the rooms supplied (20,000 room nights for over 7,000 folks), and tales from those that stayed in a Hilton lodge builds an uplifting narrative. It connects with audiences on an emotional stage.
2. Craft cohesive storytelling by partnerships
Any good story requires compelling characters, and Hilton companions with creators and influencers to assist craft its narrative. “We acknowledge that, for us to create actual, significant connections with audiences, we have to perceive who they’re following and what they care about,” says Reynolds.
When researching folks to companion with, the Hilton workforce focuses not simply on their goal market but additionally on why their goal market travels. “We see a possibility to attach with the folks touring for the love of a sport, exercise, or model,” Reynolds explains. “There’s a pure capability for journey round that exercise.”
Hilton’s partnership with McLaren Racing’s Lando Norris reveals a dedication to a distinct segment globetrotting viewers: F1 followers. “F1 followers are rising worldwide at an exponential click on, and people followers journey to pursue their love of the game,” says Reynolds.
This yr, Hilton is celebrating its 20-year anniversary of partnering with McLaren, making a collab with a McLaren F1 driver additional well timed. “This yr presents an opportune time for us to make the most of this rising fandom by telling a really genuine story of how the McLaren workforce and the drivers truly stick with us,” Reynolds explains.
Hilton (and Lando Norris) shared pictures and movies displaying the driving force experiencing varied Hilton motels. This capitalizes on an viewers already touring to observe the races and gently suggests a spot for them to remain.
“If you’re a McLaren F1 driver, it’s worthwhile to make it possible for the sleep expertise, the meals expertise, and the on-property expertise is superb in order that your thoughts is on the monitor,” says Reynolds, “and if you happen to’re a fan, equally, you don’t wish to be distracted from something when you’re there to expertise your favourite sport.”
And, in fact, there’s no higher influencer for Hilton to companion with than Paris Hilton herself.
Collabs just like the video above present how multifaceted Paris Hilton’s life is and the way Hilton’s properties cater to all of these sides.
“Paris Hilton helps us authentically inform the story of how the keep helps her — a worldwide icon, DJ, businesswoman — in order that has been a enjoyable one, to have the ability to faucet into her fan base and inform that story,” says Reynolds.
3. Set your self other than the competitors
Hilton is without doubt one of the largest lodge chains on the planet, however that doesn’t imply the advertising workforce can slack off.
“By way of consciousness, the model is so well-known, and that’s an actual present,” says Reynolds, “however we additionally know that we have now to proceed to achieve new audiences and in addition present that we have now plenty of new elements of our portfolio that they won’t learn about.”
Reynolds explains that whereas many lodge chains share photos and movies of the vacation spot extra broadly — town, the seaside, et cetera — not many deal with the keep itself. He calls it a “sea of sameness.”
“We all know that, for many vacationers, the keep can truly make or break a visit,” he says. Movies just like the collab with actor Sid Malhotra beneath highlight the lodge itself.
Moreover, Hilton’s advertising typically factors out (in a humorous manner) why staying in a Hilton lodge is healthier than staying in a short-term rental. A few of these movies are on the refined facet, like this one:
Then, there are extra direct methods of poking enjoyable on the competitors, like on this tackle the “What’s your favourite horror film” TikTok development:
Supply: @hilton
Content material like this encourages model loyalty, reaches new clients, and reminds audiences why Hilton stands out from the competitors. However, it nonetheless comes throughout as real and enjoyable and stays true to the model’s core values.
4. Create participative storytelling experiences
One other social media technique Hilton makes use of is capitalizing on user-generated content material and inspiring the participation of visitors and followers. Reynolds says the important thing to that is understanding “what our clients, or folks extra broadly, are doing on the platform, after which embracing it.”
On Instagram, for instance, Hilton shares many pictures and movies created by real-world customers. For instance, there’s this cute Instagram put up from a household’s go to to Hilton Bali Resort.
When manufacturers like Hilton share posts just like the above (in any other case often known as user-generated content material), it helps to construct a extra genuine story.
There’s loads of worth in common, marketing-focused feed posts and collab posts from influencers, in fact, however sharing pictures that visitors have taken provides one other layer of real expertise to the content material.
Person-generated content material usually isn’t as polished because the pictures and movies the advertising workforce produces, however that’s a part of its magnificence.
The extra buyer tales a model shares, the extra customers can be impressed to create it (in any case, getting your photograph reposted to an account with over 435K followers is fairly cool).
Hilton permits audiences to form the model’s narrative by a social engagement technique, backed by the “Hilton. For the Keep” platform and “It Issues The place You Keep” marketing campaign.
Utilizing this technique, the workforce screens social media and different shops and finds individuals who have had nightmare journey experiences in short-term leases or at different motels. Then, they attain out, providing to maneuver the particular person to a Hilton lodge, ship them some swag, or in any other case assist them.
This Instagram story spotlight reveals the marketing campaign’s impression and the way significant interactions with an viewers can additional improve a model’s story.
Supply: @hilton
5. Carry audiences behind the scenes for a transformative expertise
“There’s plenty of work that goes into creating an important Hilton keep, and that comes by within the on-property expertise,” says Reynolds, “however telling the story of all of the work that has gone into that’s truly fairly an fascinating factor for lots of our followers.”
Hilton’s social accounts share a number of sorts of behind-the-scenes content material that furthers the model’s transparency, relatability, and trustworthiness. For instance, for the aforementioned collaboration with McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris, Hilton posted a 13-minute lengthy YouTube video sharing candid clips from the marketing campaign.
“It confirmed a ‘day within the life’ of Lando Norris, however what it actually confirmed was that there’s an amazing quantity of care that goes into the keep expertise for him and ensuring he can carry out his greatest,” Reynolds explains.
Hilton additionally makes use of behind-the-scenes content material to share tales from workers. For instance, on this Instagram put up, a workforce member who has been with Hilton for 18 years handwrites customized notes for visitors.
Behind-the-scenes content material helps to humanize the model, set off an emotional response, and create a extra well-rounded, genuine story.
A peek behind the scenes has an unique, sincere vibe that’s typically lacking from meticulously curated Instagram feeds, and that helps a model stand out, too.
Crafting your personal model’s story: 4 ideas from Daniel Reynolds
1. Know your neighborhood
To inform a compelling story, you must have a good suggestion of precisely who you’re telling the story to. The digital advertising workforce at Hilton focuses their model’s mission on who their visitors are.
“It’s all about deeply understanding them, their wants, and their expectations in terms of a hospitality expertise,” says Reynolds.
Need assistance defining your audience? Intention right here.
2. Hear earlier than you act
This weblog put up would possibly encourage you to start out creating storytelling content material straight away, however maintain this in thoughts: “It begins with listening greater than doing,” says Reynolds.
“Actually understanding what our clients care about, what they’re speaking about, and what they need is such an important and robust place to begin.”
Social listening is one of the best (and most wallet-friendly) manner to do that. For small companies and rising entrepreneurs, that’s key. “It doesn’t essentially require a ton of funding,” Reynolds factors out.
For instance, Hootsuite affords AI social listening instruments powered by Talkwalker, together with fast search capacity and sentiment evaluation.
3. Think about the fan expertise
Hilton’s partnerships faucet into manufacturers, experiences, and individuals who have already got a dedicated following or fandom.
By collaborating with influential folks (like Tommy Paul and Paris Hilton) and companies (like Calm and Peloton), Hilton exposes itself to new, engaged audiences — audiences that require companies that align with the model’s goal.
“After we faucet into the fan expertise, we are able to inform the distinctive story of how our keep truly permits that fandom to return by most authentically,” says Reynolds.
4. Stroll the discuss
Lastly, it’s vital to make it possible for the model story you inform is true. For instance, the wildfire reduction video talked about earlier was doable as a result of Hilton supported folks affected by the wildfires.
Model storytelling ought to be an correct reflection of who you’re and what you do. So, make sure that there’s an excellent story to inform. “Now we have an genuine cause to interact in dialog, inform a narrative, and create an impression,” Reynolds says.
Key takeaways
Profitable model storytelling permits companies and creators to attach with their viewers on a deeper stage.
Model storytelling can set you aside out of your opponents in a artistic, significant manner.
Social listening may also help you establish who your viewers is and what sort of model tales to inform.
Lean into the “fan expertise ” by collaborating with creators, influencers, and different manufacturers with passionate followings and fandoms.
Participatory content material can interact audiences and inform a compelling model story.
Sharing behind-the-scenes content material offers followers a recent, thrilling perspective and builds belief.
Compelling storytelling places authenticity first by staying true to model identification and buyer values.
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