The Sheraton "Belong" Ad Campaign - appealing to emotions and lifestyles

Since late last year, many big hospitality / hotel companies have been scrambling to redefine their image and stand out from a growing herd of brands and franchises. The drive behind this is the understanding / realization that humans tend to be creatures of emotion...rather then logic, and the very elements that have helped companies build successful brands with a fan-following can be utilized to stand apart in the hospitality industry too!

After all, the hospitality industry today is saturated with an influx of new rooms, properties and brands - just how does a customer make up his/her mind? Starwood kick-started a superb branding initiative in 2005, with a differentiating exercise for each of its brands, including defining a unique image and core values associate with each brand. Also rolled out this year were various advertisement campaigns and property-level initiatives to build on brand uniqueness, e.g. Sheraton's "Belong" campaign, the simplicity factor associated with Four Points, the "address" and exclusivity offered by St.Regis, etc.

The Strategic Name Development Product Naming Blog reports on the name change for a street in New Zealand, due to the double meaning of the word Kaka.

"Sometimes your street name can be irksome, especially if you live on Kaka Street in New Zealand. According to ABC News, the double meaning of Kaka is prompting a street name change."

It's funny (and in business and marketing, sometimes disastrous)how often product names and slogans go wrong when traslated literally abroad. Some more great examples of marketing / brandname and slogan goofs...