2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

The objective was to create an experience that drives organic sharing and be top of mind for travelers when planning their travel.

In November of 2019, Hilton Canada signed a multi-year agreement to become
Golf Canada’s official hotel partner. Hilton had big plans to kick-off the partnership,
but then COVID happened. As a result, Hilton had to wait two-and-half years
before it could officially launch its partnership on the course.

Hilton had to make up for lost time. So when it came time to debut Hilton’s new partnership at the first live, in-person tournament event in July of 2022, the standard 10’ x 10’ promotional booth wasn’t enough. It needed to put on display Hilton’s unrivaled stay. Just as people were beginning to travel again, it needed to showcase Hilton’s luxurious amenities and superior bed and linens, and allow golf fans and Canadians alike to experience a Hilton hotel stay. And to do that, FUSE Create did the unthinkable; they built a pop-up Hilton hotel at the RBC Canadian Open.

Introducing Hilton on the Green.

A a one-of-a-kind, fully functional, one-bedroom hotel that didn’t just show up at the PGA and LPGA events - it popped up at the third green of the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto, and at the eighth tee of CP Women’s Open in Ottawa. The pop-up hotel was supported by a national contest, awarding six lucky golf fans the stay of a lifetime. Activation drivers included digital banners, an HTML email launch, a robust PR campaign and influencer outreach.

Contest winners stayed overnight in the 200-sqft luxury hotel that featured amenities found across the 18 Hilton brands, including Frette linens found in Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Byredo Mojave Ghost bathroom amenities from Conrad Hotels & Resorts, and its famous DoubleTree cookies. The overnight stay came complete with a personal concierge, golf cart and gourmet meals (including breakfast in bed), creating a truly unique and memorable experience. Fabrication of the hotel was made with Canadian-made materials and sustainable resources.

Hilton on the Green made international headlines and received unprecedented local coverage and online engagement. It was the talk of the tournament, making Hilton Canada’s debut as the official Hotel partner of Golf Canada more successful than it ever could have anticipated. In the end, the activation got the client promoted and to date, is the most talked about activation in Hilton Canada’s history.

It earned 0.50 billion media impressions, 1.96 million social engagements and 273+ media stories, 313+ organic social posts. Seven countries besides Canada covered the activation (USA, France, Germany, Spain, China, Japan, India). It earned 11K contest entries and a conversion rate of 40% (i.e. 27K unique contest website visits).

Credits

Executive Creative Director: Steve Miller
Creative Director: Patrice Pollack
Art Director: Patrick Carter / Rebecca May
Copywriter: Sam Rudykoff / Darren Marranca
Group Account Director: Zach Wright
Account Director: Ashley Sommerville
Production Manager: Amanda Fusco
Integrated Producer: Terra Stephen
Production Coordinator: Raphaele Sohier
Account Coordinator: Caeleb Quinn
Production Partner: Artam Design Inc.
PR: Vanessa Francone
Social: Jacquie Kostuk, Nicole Eum

Video: Stephen Weir
Photography: Jake Killorn, Bryan Ulrich

Client Contact: Jennifer White
Client Contact: Andrea Mackinnon