Novotel: a gentle marketing offensive

When Novotel breaks out of its relative silence, it is to attest to a real evolution and its positioning with respect to the general public. The chain chose to reveal its new face through an original pan-European ad campaign in the press and on television. “We want to highlight an image that is increasingly in synch with the expectations of the X Generation (*) and city breakers,” explains Eric Lepleux, marketing manager for hotellerie and brands for the group Accor. Concretely speaking, the spots, which are visually well tailored, highlight wild animals (baby seals, fawns, deer, bears...) wandering peacefully about the hotel’s different spaces. The message: Novotel hotels are places where one feels good naturally.(*) Also known as “Latchkey kids”, the X Generation is made up of those born from the early sixties to the late seventies. The expression was invented by the Canadian author Douglas Coupland. They lived in their parents’ houses longer than the previous generation. They worked while they pursued their studies and experienced more difficulty establishing themselves in the labour market Everything is done to communicate this impression of wellbeing: gracious lighting, the delicate music of Emilie Simon (composer of the original soundtrack for the movie La Marche de l’Empereur)... The brand’s hotels look like veritable cocoons where time seems to stand still. A new baseline: “designed for natural living”, always in English, closes the demonstration. It is more about a sensation than real life demonstration. And this is what the brand is after: “we are making a transition from functional standardisation to emotional experience. The idea is to put an end to cold, impersonal products, often located along a motorway,” summarizes Eric Lepleux. The theme of “the natural space” is intended to stick as close as possible to the desires of 21st century clientele...