Josiane unveils its new creation: Novotel’s new advertising campaign

Josiane and Novotel awaken our childhood memories.

Novotel, the leading 4-star hotel chain, this month unveils its new 360° brand campaign on TV, online video/digital, social media and in-hotel in France and Europe, created by the Josiane agency.

A trans-generational brand, with a positioning and values centered on slow-living and caring, Novotel wants to target both families and business travelers. The challenge of this European campaign is to make the brand shine, by emphasising the premiumisation, modernisation and comfort of its hotels, while remaining authentic and true to the Novotel personality (simplicity, proximity, friendliness), and to be easily adaptable for European distribution (France, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg).

Anaïs Dessales-Quentin, Brand Director Novotel and Novotel Suites Europe and North Africa:

"I'm delighted with this first collaboration with Josiane. This campaign is much more than just an advertisement for our brand. It embodies our core values by emphasizing the emotional aspect of the Novotel experience. An important challenge was to show that we are capable of meeting the needs of our two main target groups: families, for whom Novotel has always been a preferred choice, and our business customers, who are also looking for quality when travelling on business. A subtle balance between these two audiences. What's more, we wanted to showcase our staff and highlight the essential role they play in the Novotel experience, as they are the cornerstone of our industry”
 

A kindly accompaniment at the service of filmmaking.
This is a tender new film in which the hotel plays the starring role. 
We follow the stays of a mischievous little boy who loves to hide in every nook and cranny of a Novotel hotel. From the rooms to the restaurant, via the room service trolleys, the gym, the lobby, the terrace, the meeting rooms... his inventive hiding places evolve as the years go by. The entire Novotel range is cleverly revealed in this timeless game of hide-and-seek.
All under the umbrella of impeccable service, with the discreet and benevolent complicity of Novotel staff.
 

Emotion in simplicity and the universal theme of the passage of time.
Our hero has become an adult. One day, on a business trip, he walks back through the hotel doors. Annoyed by a little boy who pushes him around at reception, he realises that the boy is also playing hide-and-seek. The last scene of the film reflects back to him his own image as a child, and inevitably gives him a great rush of emotion. Novotel is thus at the heart of a very simple story, one that resembles it, evoking the timelessness and nostalgia of childhood and successive generations. The music (Les eaux de mars, by Georges Moustaki) adds to the emotional impact of the film. 

Laurent Allias, founder of Josiane: "This campaign, for which we also called on our creative teams in Europe, is particularly close to our hearts. It allowed us to deliver emotion through images and music, rather than words. A story without words, after all, which was a prerequisite for the European roll-out. But we still opted for music composed in French, to anchor the brand."

Jérôme Diez, Creative Director at Josiane: "With Novotel, the hotel becomes the best playground for children. We wanted to create a timeless film that would awaken nostalgia for our childhood, spent playing hide-and-seek in places that stimulate us and make us feel good. And these moments transcend time, as underlined by the European tagline: "Moments that stay with you".

A commendable collaboration between agency, advertiser and production.
While the quality of service and Novotel staff are subtly highlighted in the TV film, the same is true in real life. Filming took place over 2 days at the Novotel Paris Porte de Versailles, with the full support and assistance of the staff, without ever disrupting guests' stay. The Novotel team played the game to the hilt, with some even agreeing to act in the film.

A mix of formats to showcase the brand's exclusive offerings
In addition to its long version (1 minute), the film will be broadcast in a 30-second version, combined with 15-second formats, each devoted to one of the brand's differentiating services. 
Lisa Chaput, Artistic Director at Josiane: "The game of hide-and-seek in the Novotel gave us great material to use as evidence. We were able to create a real dynamic with several short formats to highlight the free breakfast for under-16s, the made-to-measure meeting rooms, the all-hours catering, etc."
 

About Josiane

An ideas agency created in 2014, Josiane supports brands such as VinFast Europe, Ornikar, Parmentier, Adagio Europe, Guy Hoquet, Les Fermiers de Loué, Saint Gobain Glass, Les Petits Frères des Pauvres... www.josiane.fr

Founder contact: Laurent Allias / laurent(@)josiane.fr / +336 76 53 87 71

Co-Founder Amsterdam contact: Mireille Elberse / mireille(@)josiane.amsterdam / +316 28 33 09 13

Communication contact: Véronique Domas / Development Director / veronique@josiane.fr / +336 12 06 59 25

About Novotel

Novotel Hotels, Suites & Resorts offers hotels that are designed to be both stimulating and comforting places to live, where guests can regain control of their time and enjoy the moments that really matter.

The brand's wide range of hotels, suites and resorts offer a multitude of services for both business and leisure guests - spacious and flexible rooms with a simple and elegant design, healthy and balanced catering available 24 hours a day, specialised meeting rooms, attentive and pro-active staff, family zones, multifunctional lobbies and accessible fitness rooms.

Novotel, which has more than 530 establishments in over 60 countries, is part of Accor, a world leader in hospitality, with 5,400 hotels in more than 110 countries, and the ALL ecosystem - Accor Live Limitless - the loyalty programme that gives access to a wide range of benefits, services and experiences.

More information: 

novotel.com | all.accor.com | group.accor.com

Press contact: communication.france(@)accor.com