InterContinental Weaves Local Web

InterContinental Hotels, owner of brands such as Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, wants to convince travelers its employees have the inside scoop on how to have a great visit. To achieve that, the company has debuted a set of four TV spots by agency Legas Delaney.

But another twist can be found online: 142 brief videos of concierges showing off their hotel’s neighborhood. For that component, which will be featured on the hotel sites and a video portal InterContinental is building, the chain is leaning not on an agency but TurnHere, a San Francisco startup that creates guide videos.

With advertisers increasingly interested in reaching small audiences with tailored messages, companies like TurnHere and SpotRunner are stepping into a breach left by ad agencies that specialize in creating a handful of broad-reach spots.