This animated gif served as our digital holiday card a few years ago. It was a fun way to stand out against a sea of static holiday cards. #McConnellMoves
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According to Hallmark, 1.5 billion holiday cards were sent in 2015, and at least some of these were sent by luxury hotels.
Here are two unique and very different cards we worked on this holiday season. Hope they inspire you for next year!
This unique card features a hand-drawn sketch made specifically for the property by one of Rodarte’s award-winning fashion designers, Kate Mulleavy.
Mulleavy’s sketch.
In the final version of the card (shown below) the woman in the sketch is slightly obscured by a vellum cover, giving the winter scene a dreamlike quality.
Front of the Mandarin Oriental “Rodarte” card.
The Rittenhouse decided on a more traditional, straight-forward card than the Mandarin.
We love how the gold foil came out on the border and word “reimagined.” It really gives this card a luxurious feel. Of course, the inside of the card is simple and clean, leaving plenty of room for a handwritten message.
The holiday card certainly shows no signs of going away. If your hotel put together a great holiday card this year, please post a link in our comments section!
This post was fueled by “Eight O Clock” coffee, the workhouse caffeinated beverage of the McConnell Marketing office.
Until next time, happy holidays, be well and be sure to stop back this Friday for a new post!
It is always exciting when a historic building goes under renovation. Like a makeover, the renovation brings a breath of fresh air to a building in need of some TLC. Being in the hospitality industry, we get a little more excited when the renovation leads to a new hotel. And best of all, it’s in our backyard.
The Stambaugh Building which first opened its doors in 1907 will reopen as DoubleTree Youngstown in December 2017.
The Rise
The building has the lengthy history that one would expect from a 109-year old building.
The Fall
By the time the 90’s rolled around, things were starting to look bleak for the Stambaugh Building. The interior condition was deteriorating, and tenants were relocating to the suburbs. The building changed hands several times throughout the late 1990’s into the 2000’s. The building was on its last leg and was in need of a major facelift. Enter NYO Property Group.
The Rebirth
In 2012, Dominic Marchionda, Chief Executive of NYO Property Group purchased the building from Frangos and announced new plans for a $30 million renovation. The end goal of this renovation was to bring a hotel to downtown Youngstown.
DoubleTree Youngstown was announced in November of 2014. The DoubleTree will serve as the first hotel downtown since 1974. The building will feature 134 rooms and provide a perfect place to stay for business travelers, YSU visitors, and Covelli Centre visitors alike. One of the most anticipated amenities is the rooftop bar that will offer visitors a breathtaking bird’s eye view of downtown.
Now guests will be checking in where people once checked out with their new purchases at Euwer’s Department Store 100 years prior. Others will lay down to rest in a room where Youngstown Sheet and Tube executives made crucial business decisions many moons ago. You can even have a drink looking out over the city with the same view that Youngstown Sheet & Tube Chairman and steel industry visionary James Campbell had from his office.
To stay up to date with the construction of the DoubleTree Youngstown, Follow NYO Property Group on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Last week we attended the first ever DOYO conference, a digital marketing conference that took place in our own backyard right here in Youngstown Ohio.
The conference brought together the region’s leading experts on digital marketing for a day of learning, dialogue and networking.
Here are some of our favorite points from DOYO Live 2016
1. Schedule Your Content Like a TV station
There was plenty of talk about Content Marketing at the convention. In fact, the morning keynote speaker was Content Marketing Institute founder, Joe Pulizzi. One of Joe’s ideas that we found really interesting was that consistency is more important that frequency. Having a steady content schedule can actually develop an expectation with your audience.
A view of Joe Pulizzi’s keynote talk
So just like you tune-in to AMC every Sunday at 9pm to watch The Walking Dead your audience will learn to tune in at a certain time each week to consume your content.
2. Be More Human With Social Listening
Never forget that there are actual people behind those twitter accounts!
In his session: “How to Win Big With Social Selling” Jeff Herman told an anecdote about how a prospective client shared her interest in being shot out of a cannon on her LinkedIn profile.
Jeff was then able to use that information in a subsequent conversation with the prospect to make a connection. Taking a few minutes to look on Linkedin enabled Jeff to come across as genuine, have an entertaining ice breaker and avoid being another typical shallow sales guy.
Moral of the story: people are putting valuable information about themselves online that we in the digital marketing community can use to build genuine relationships.
3. Video Is Where It’s At
And you don’t even need a camera like this one!
Another point that came up in Jeff’s talk, as well as several other sessions, was the importance and ease of creation of video content.
Video is the best way to capture someone’s attention, it doesn’t require them to read a lengthy article and it simulates face to face contact that’s hard to replicate over the phone. There’s just something about someone seeing and hearing you that facilitates communication so much better.
@mcconnellmktg pic.twitter.com/VSXbBABLIA
— Jeff Leo Herrmann (@JeffLHerrmann) August 5, 2016
And the nice thing is today it doesn’t take much equipment at all! Just check out this cool video note Jeff left us after the conference (shown above) it did not utilize a fancy production studio (in fact it was shot in a gym) but still makes a bigger impact than a text tweet or even this blog!
4. Being Successful at Content Marketing Takes Time… Lots of It!
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 90% of companies are doing content marketing but only 30% say they are successful. Of course, most companies are eager to embrace content marketing as a strategy but few are able to implement it correctly.
One of the biggest reasons for this lack of success is that many businesses aren’t invested for the long haul. Businesses should be prepared to put in 1 year or more of content marketing work before getting any real returns on their investment.
5. Depth Not Breadth
It’s better to focus on one target and nail it than miss several
With so many ways to create content and interact with an audience it’s tempting for companies to try their hand at everything, however digital marketing is a “less is more” endeavor.
Another theme presented at DOYO Live was the idea of narrowing efforts and trying to be successful on fewer platforms and media channels. For example, in his breakout session: “Essentials for Developing an Online Marketing Strategy” Gene Bonanno offered the advice that a company should only focus on optimizing SEO for one domain name, because most don’t have the resources or time to do proper SEO for more than one. A similar message came through in several other marketing presentations with the idea of focusing on fewer channels and fewer content types but doing them extremely well.
Did you attend DOYO Live? Tell us about your favorite part in our comments section below!
McConnell Marketing was recently acquired by two senior associates, Katie Hively and Megan Sovik. You can read all about their professional credentials and history with the company in our official press release below… but, if you really want to know who the new owners are check out some of these lesser known facts about them.
Okay, now here’s the official stuff:
Canfield-based Boutique Hospitality Marketing Firm
(Canfield, OH) – McConnell Marketing, a hospitality marketing communications firm founded in 1991, has been acquired by two senior associates. The new owners, Katie Hively and Megan Sovik, have been with McConnell Marketing more than ten years each and have served as Senior Account Executives during that time. The new owners are equal partners and are committed to maintaining the company’s commitment to integrity, creativity, service and social responsibility. The firm will continue to operate under the current name.
Both Hively and Sovik graduated from Youngstown State University with Bachelor’s Degrees in Business Administration, majoring in Advertising and Public Relations. They have extensive experience in copywriting, graphic and web design, brand development, public relations, promotions and social media strategy.
McConnell Marketing specializes in hospitality marketing—offering services including copywriting, editing, graphic design, print/web production, creative services and social media marketing. During its 25 years in business, McConnell Marketing has earned a national reputation in the industry, servicing some of the most prestigious hotel names in the country. Among those on the current client roster are Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts, St. Regis, InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, as well as many independently owned and operated hotels.
McConnell Marketing had been owned by Mark W. McConnell since its inception. About the acquisition, McConnell says, “Megan and Katie are two of the most talented marketing professionals I’ve ever known. I have no doubt that the company will continue to thrive under their leadership.” McConnell will continue to serve as a full-time professor at the University of Mount Union.
