You might know Jordan Rodgers as the last man standing on JoJo’s season of The Bachelorette (arguably one of the best seasons of all time), as a studio analyst for ESPN’s SEC Network, or as a host (along with fiancé JoJo Fletcher) of not one but two reality shows, Cash Pad and Battle of the Fittest Couples.
But today, Jordan is calling for fans to put down the screens, and connect with people #IRL.
Jordan teamed up with Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express to create a visual, shareable experience at the Oculus in New York City. Passersby were invited to share a travel memory in the popup’s Memory Booth. Seconds after they finished, they would receive a video recording to share on social media.
“The Holiday Inn brand family serves more than 14 million customers a year in nearly 4,000 locations worldwide, so nearly everyone has a travel memory from one of our brands,” says TJ Abrams, Head of Global Brand Strategy & Performance for Holiday Inn. “By creating a highly visual experience in an unexpected location, we were able to stop people in their tracks and enable them to take a moment out of their busy days to come together, connect and share their travel stories. And, by encouraging everyone to use #BeThereIRL, we were able to extend the reach of the activation beyond our physical footprint in the Oculus.”
The We’re there campaign is all about encouraging people to travel and make connections with loved ones in real life.
“From someone that has a business on social media, has a following on social media, it can be great, but nothing replaces seeing people in person,” says Jordan.
You know it’s a good night sleep when you wake up like this…
I’m at the Oculus today celebrating moments of connection with @HolidayInn & @HIExpress for the #BeThereIRL event. Come on down to hang with me and share your travel memories at the Memory Booths. #anIHGhotel #ad pic.twitter.com/iFMl5FjcB9
— Jordan Rodgers (@JRodgers11) October 28, 2019
Jordan has north of a million followers on Instagram, but what makes him a true fit as an influencer for the Holiday Inn brand is his authentic connection.
“It’s been in the fabric of my life,” says Jordan. “The first time I moved away from home, I was living in Nashville and going to school and playing football, and my parents would travel out to watch as many games as they could – tried not to ever miss a home game – and the closest hotel, actually one of the oldest hotels in the area, was the Holiday Inn.”
He remembers catching up with his parents at the hotel and tailgating in the parking lot – memories that make his Holiday Inn partnership all the more meaningful.
“Is that necessary to work with a brand? No, but it makes it feel more like home,” says Jordan.
Plus, Jordan relates to the brand’s message. He travels all but two days a week, staying in Holiday Inns across the country covering college football.
His tip for brands looking to work with influencers? Make sure it’s organic.
“Any time I work with people, any time brands are looking to me, the first checklist is, is this something I use in my daily life? Is it natural for me to talk about this? Do I want to make sure that the people that follow me and value my opinion would gain benefit from it, as well?” explains Jordan.
Whether you’re working with TV stars like Jordan Rodgers, or sharing content with “micro-influencers” like college athletes and your own employees, you can reach a much broader audience by partnering with people who have an authentic, meaningful connection to your brand.
Want to see how your creative team can amplify your brand’s reach by working with your biggest cheerleaders? Check out our new on-demand webinar, Tap Into the Power of Your Influencers!
