Ogilvy named global creative agency for World of Hyatt

Ogilvy has been selected as the global creative agency for Hyatt’s guest loyalty program, World of Hyatt, the agency announced Tuesday. 

Ogilvy will lead creative, experience and strategy for World of Hyatt’s member communications, promotions and enhancements. 

Ogilvy declined to name the size of the account. The opportunity came through a former Ogilvy client, said president of Ogilvy Experience in North America Rajesh Midha.

The account was previously held by Forsman and Bodenfors, which World of Hyatt ended its partnership with at the end of April, a Forsman and Bodenfors spokesperson confirmed. 

The account will be led by the Ogilvy Experience team in New York, which it has invested in over the past year as consumers form new habits thanks to the pandemic. Ogilvy hired Steve Soechtig to lead its experience practice in January. 

Experience is also a focus for Ogilvy parent company WPP. CEO Mark Read committed to growing the holding company’s overall revenue from experience, technology and e-commerce to 40% by 2025. 

Travel and hospitality brands are ramping back up their marketing spend as the pace of vaccinations and reopenings pick up across the U.S. For Hyatt, investing in a loyalty program is also key as online identifiers phase out and first-party data becomes indispensable.

World of Hyatt includes participating locations across Hyatt brands, including: the Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Alila, Andaz, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, JdV by Hyatt, Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, UrCove and Hyatt Residence Club brands. 

Members of the program get access to benefits including suite upgrades at time of booking, wellbeing offerings, mobile key and member rates.

“World of Hyatt is grounded in listening and as the demand for travel returns, we are more committed than ever to understanding our guests’ and members’ needs in order to deliver personalized care, distinct experiences, and tailored content that meets them where they are,” Gretchen Kloke, VP of global marketing at Hyatt said in a statement. “Working with Ogilvy will enhance our ability to reimagine member experiences, with a unique combination of creativity, brand building, and an innovative data-driven approach to loyalty programs.”

The win is the latest for Ogilvy, which has added Zippo, Pernod Ricard USA's tequila and mezcal portfolio, Enterprise, Absolut, Tata Consulting Services and James Hardie to its portfolio in the past year.