The brief
Boutique hotel group 21c Museum Hotels planned to open their 9th and newest property right in our backyard. Naturally, we jumped at the chance to create a campaign that captured the attention of their socially-savvy, artistic target audience. The challenge? Make this new hotel-meets-museum stand out in a city with nearly 200 hotels and a world-class art scene.
The idea
C U SOON CHICAGO was our take on contemporary art, using deconstructed brand elements—including 21c’s famous penguin mascot—to create a motion-forward, mobile-friendly paid social ads and OOH with stopping power.
Because the hotel was under construction, we knew we needed to get creative with our limited assets. So we took a graphic approach to pique curiosity, be thought-provoking, and make the unfamiliar, familiar.
The results
Our campaign drove significant reach, impressions, bookings and newsletter signups in the short period right before Covid. Our campaign also grabbed the attention of the Indigo Design Awards—winning Gold, Silver, and Bronze across categories.
In addition, the C U SOON campaign become the benchmark for 21c’s reopening efforts across all properties.