Summary

Agency: Edelman

Client & Project: Booking - Ultimate Pride Experience

During Pride Week celebrations, we organized a PR stunt at the Sofitel Legend The Grand in Amsterdam. We transformed a suite into a vibrant rainbow-themed room featuring artwork by LGBTQ+ artist Eelco Hilgersom. To further enhance the experience, we invited drag performer Envy Peru to spend a night in the suite. Media outlets, including Vice, were also invited for an overnight stay, generating buzz and anticipation.

The highlight of the stunt was offering the room on Booking.com for a special price of 20 EUR, available on a first-come, first-served basis. The room was sold out within 10 seconds. I managed the entire production and client communications, overseeing the project from inception to delivery.

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What was the challenge and how we tackled it

The goal was to highlight Booking.com's support for the LGBTQ+ community through their Travel Proud Program, with the Pride Week celebrations in Amsterdam providing the perfect opportunity. This event also marked the official launch of Booking.com's partnership with COC Netherlands, the oldest existing LGBTQ+ organization in the world.

We successfully secured a collaboration with the Sofitel Legend The Grand Hotel in Amsterdam, which served as the venue for the PR stunt. The Rainbow Suite was made available for a week, with media outlets occupying it for the first three days. Envy Peru, a renowned drag performer, also spent a night in the suite, during which social media content was filmed. The weekend stay was reserved for the public, offered on a first-come, first-served basis via Booking.com, and the room sold out within 10 seconds.

Guests staying in the Rainbow Suite could enjoy masterpieces by emerging LGBTQ+ artist Eelco Hilgersom, spend time with drag icon Envy Peru, savor rainbow-themed culinary delights, and receive exclusive VIP tickets to view the famous Amsterdam Canals Parade.

The campaign was promoted prior to Pride Week through social media teasers and outreach to interested media outlets. During Pride Week, both the artist and drag icon continued to promote the stunt on social media, and special content created for the occasion was released. This multifaceted approach ensured widespread attention and engagement with the campaign.

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What I did

1. Developed the creative strategy and pitched various ideas until the Pride Stunt was selected as the winning concept.

2. Collaborated closely with the Creative and Booking teams to create the concept and address various production challenges.

3. Managed the pre-production phase, including the creation of the timeline, budgeting, and resource allocation.

4. Supervised a junior producer responsible for day-to-day production tasks.

5. Coordinated all stakeholders, including the client, hotel, experiential crew, film crew, and photography team.

6. Served as the main point of contact for the client throughout the stunt's production.

7. Acted as the production lead, overseeing the entire team to ensure adherence to budget and brand guidelines throughout the project development.

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The outcome

This activation led to the publication of over 28 articles in the Netherlands, featured in prominent national dailies, lifestyle magazines, and diversity and inclusion media, achieving a significant reach of 33.8 million.

Additionally, 360 social media posts across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn garnered a combined reach of 5.5 million.

The campaign also gained international attention, with articles published worldwide, from Brazil to Japan and Germany to the US.

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