Marriott Revamps Ad Sales, Ties Bonvoy To Gamers Paradise Series

A Marriott Bonvoy, the hotel chain’s loyalty program, will present a new digital variety show featuring Asian esports and gaming culture. Gamer’s Paradise is a 15-episode variety talk show series produced by ONE Esports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship (ONE).

Why the amalgamation of Travel With Gaming?

The travel market may not be closely associated with a stationary activity like games. However, Marriott clearly plans to grow affinity with gamers, whose popularity has skyrocketed since the pandemic hit. It is backing the digital content series to expose its Bonvoy loyalty program to a broader audience of gamers and esports fans.

“Gamer’s Paradise” episodes highlight regional Marriott hotels centered around specific themes.  It will enable viewers to immerse themselves in travel destinations through the lens of gaming culture. It will feature content that celebrates the diverse gaming and esports culture in Asia – Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

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The series will feature across One Esports channels including Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, and Afreeca T.V, a Korean peer-to-peer streaming service. Streaming and digital programming sponsorships are common since gamers prefer these platforms to linear TV for entertainment. It is clear from Marriott’s support that it plans to tap the enthusiasts’ group not traditionally targeted by the hospitality sector.

Marriott joins a growing group of non-endemic marketers bolstering their gaming practices as desirable consumer groups like millennials and Gen Z express a clear preference for the sector. Julie Purser, Vice President, Marketing, Loyalty & Partnerships, Marriott International, Asia Pacific said, 

“We teamed up with ONE Esports on Gamer’s Paradise to bring Marriott Bonvoy’s expression of good travel in both virtual and physical settings to gamers across the region. This series is rooted in travel, and we hope to showcase how the digital and gaming worlds draw inspiration, energy and community from the transformative power of travel.”

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With the travel industry experiencing a recovery from pandemic lows, advertisers have ramped up their marketing spend is up 43% Y-o-Y. Marriott Bonvoy acting as a sponsor comes from the bounce back.

It is also revamping its ad sales business. The hotel chain recently launched Marriott Media Network which chain is a cross-platform omnichannel advertising platform. It leverages data from Bonvoy, Marriott’s loyalty program with more than 164 million members. And the network intends to initially focus on content and editorial products.

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