MullenLowe Promotes Hyatt as Promoting ‘A World of Understanding’

By Erik Oster 

Hyatt consolidated its creative account across its brands by naming MullenLowe as its global AOR nearly a year ago.

Now the agency is launching a new campaign for Hyatt with a 30-second anthem ad entitled “For A World of Understanding.” Set to a version of the oft-covered Burt Bacharach/Hal David-penned “What The World Needs Now Is Love,”originally a hit for Jackie DeShannon in 1965, the spot opens with a woman wearing a hijab sitting across from a blond woman on a train. While the blond woman initially appears skeptical of the woman, if not silently judgmental, they smile warmly at each other when the woman hands her a scarf she dropped on the floor. Similar small moments of understanding are highlighted throughout the effort.

“For A World of Understanding” will make its broadcast debut during the Academy Awards on Sunday, which are guaranteed to have a political tinge this year. The spot manages to promote travel as a means of cultural understanding, a relatively noncontroversial statement that still sees the brand attempting to make a stand for multiculturalism. Adweek recently asked, “Will Brands Risk #Boycott With Socially Conscious Ads This Awards Season?“and Hyatt seems find a way straddle the line with a socially conscious stance that should be mild enough to avoid any major backlash.

The brand is supporting the message with a new initiative in partnership with Afar on a curated trip to Tokyo (from New York) and sponsorship of a charitable education program allowing youth from Chicago to experience a trip to Costa Rica.

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