Debuting a World-Class Brand and a Canadian-First
When Hard Rock Hotel London, Ontario was in the final phases of its construction at 100 Kellogg Lane - the country’s largest indoor entertainment complex - the combined team of international brand directors, hotel property managers and internal leaders identified the need for a dedicated agency partner to grow brand equity and understanding in the pre-opening period, and ensure an unforgettable launch for Canada’s first-ever Hard Rock Hotel. Based on a trusted referral, they chose sagecomm.
The one-of-a-kind property was coming online fast, and needed wrap-around support to build the brand, educate the market on this unique and elevated hotel product, and create momentum and excitement toward opening day. The sagecomm-driven solution was a comprehensive marketing and communications, community engagement and public relations strategy that helped the Hard Rock Hotel brand sing in its Canadian debut.
Combining an organic content strategy, digital and out-of-home advertising campaign, an opening day launch strategy and a media relations plan, this strategic sprint resulted in stellar engagement–including more than 500k+ impressions from out-of-home promotions, ~470k impressions, 18k clicks, and an impressive 8.72% click through rate on social media ads, and a 27.55% click through rate on Google ads, nearly 6x the industry average.
The opening day media strategy brought regional media personalities and influencers on site, and drove local, provincial and national coverage across traditional and digital media, garnering 785k impressions & video streams, coverage in 10 regional media outlets and 14 national/international industry outlets and publications, and dozens of follow-on articles and influencer visits.
Services Delivered
- Research & Discovery
- Positioning & Key Message Development
- Content Development & Copywriting
- Digital Advertising
- Social Media Strategy & Implementation
- Out-of-Home Advertising
- Media Relations
- Signage Display Design
- Photoshoot Support
- Digital & Print Design
Sector
Featured work samples
When we needed a rapid brand launch and opening campaign, the sagecomm crew immediately became part of our team at Hard Rock Hotel. They were able to activate quickly and understand how to work with our international brand standards, while making the campaign custom to our local market and really drive up the awareness of Canada’s first Hard Rock Hotel! We would not have been able to have such an impactful launch, including a wildly successful opening day, without their expertise in marketing and communications, brand strategy, campaign management and media relations.
