Skift Take
Given the current geopolitical climate and the ever-tightening, more restrictive stance the U.S. is taking on immigration and travel these days, Hyatt's new ad could not be more timely.
If you happen to tune in to watch the Academy Awards this Sunday, chances are you'll catch Hyatt's new ad campaign, "For a World of Understanding."
Shot on location in Thailand, Morocco, and Spain, the campaign shows a series of vignettes of travelers in those three cities, while Andra Day sings her own rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's iconic song, "What the World Needs Now is Love."
In the spot, which was created by MullenLowe, a woman wearing a hijab alerts her fellow train passenger to her fallen scarf. A black traveler in Morocco befriends local villagers. A boisterous Spaniard welcomes an Asian businessman who feels out of place in a crowded sports bar. A Thai food vendor convinces a skeptical traveler to try a scorpion. The ad ends with a frustrated traveler who, having been stuck in traffic, receives a warm welcome as his taxi pulls up to his hotel in Thailand, and ends with a message promoting Hyatt's new World of Hyatt loyalty program, which officially launches on March 1.
If the ad seems a little bit touchy feely, it's supposed to be that way. Echoing the tone of some of the more politically charged advertisements that we saw during the Super Bowl about cultural acceptance and inclusion (Airbnb, Expedia, and Coca-Cola's ads come to mind), Hyatt's does the same, albeit in a slightly more subtle and understated way.
"Our hope is that people w
