The Fifth Story by Hotel Indigo

As four new hotels and 600+ guest rooms were about to enter the Downtown El Paso marketplace, Hotel Indigo, the new and only existing boutique hotel in Downtown, had to maintain its recently established “It” place status.

Instead of traditional promotions and hard-sales pitches, we felt that brand storytelling would develop a deeper connection between the brand and audience. So, we developed The Fifth Story, an online magazine-like website as their brand storytelling vehicle. Centered around the strongest brand connection patrons had to the hotel, Circa 1969, the fifth-floor rooftop bar, the website was designed to bring to life the core elements of the “New Authentic El Paso” experience: art, rich flavors, crafted cocktails, traditional culture, modern offerings and all things local.

We also developed Circa Sessions, a video content series that highlighted the bar’s popular bartenders and their elevated New Authentic El Paso spin on cocktail recipe creation. Each video showcased a bartender delving out the inspiration behind his unique recipe, followed by instruction of how to serve it up. In this way, while delivering useful information to our audience, we were also able to showcase the expertise of Circa’s bartenders and the high-end quality of the ingredients and creativity used in each of their cocktails.

Through the creation of valuable, informative content, Hotel Indigo solidified its position as the “New Authentic El Paso” expert and maintained its “It” place status. The online magazine remains a vehicle that enables them to amplify their story and cultivate a meaningful audience connection.

Case Study

How do you maintain your “It" place status? Deliver value to your audience.

CHALLENGE

As four new hotels and 600+ guest rooms were about to enter the Downtown El Paso marketplace, Hotel Indigo, the new and only existing boutique hotel in Downtown, had to maintain its recently established “It” place status.

INSIGHT

The injection of Hotel Indigo’s brand DNA — the combination of a modern, elevated offering with a deep respect for all things local — introduced a new, very positive taste of El Paso, one that hadn’t been seen or experienced before. Hotel Indigo introduced both locals and out-of-town guests to the “New Authentic El Paso.” 

Circa 1969, Hotel Indigo’s rooftop bar, was the primary vehicle through which visitors experienced the "New Authentic El Paso." El Pasoans came back to Circa week after week to sip a Sal de Grillo cocktail and enjoy the modern take on their traditional culture. Out-of-town business guests returned month after month to be greeted by their bartender by name and spend their days like a local, surrounded by locals, enjoying the artful atmosphere that brought the richness of the border town to them.

To strengthen relationships with current patrons (both locals and returning guests) so as not to lose them to the new hotels, our marketing efforts had to further engage patrons with the “New Authentic El Paso” experience in a way that delivered a deeper understanding and continued value.

SOLUTION

The most intriguing thing about the “New Authentic El Paso” experience was the story behind it: the story behind the local art that adorns the walls; the selection of colors and fabrics that make the atmosphere so inviting; and the bartenders that craft unique cocktail recipes with the finest local ingredients and flavors. Brand storytelling — instead of traditional promotions and hard-sales pitches — was how we would develop a deeper connection between the brand and audience. 

We developed The Fifth Story, an online magazine-like website as their brand storytelling vehicle to house “New Authentic El Paso” content. The Fifth Story branding was centered around the strongest brand connection patrons had to the hotel, Circa 1969, the fifth-floor rooftop bar. It was designed to bring to life the core elements of the New Authentic El Paso experience: art, rich flavors, crafted cocktails, traditional culture, modern offerings and all things local. 

We also developed the first video content series, Circa Sessions, which highlighted the bar’s popular bartenders and their elevated New Authentic El Paso spin to cocktail recipe creation. Each video showcased a bartender delving out the inspiration behind his unique recipe, followed by instruction of how to serve it up. In this way, while delivering useful information to our audience, we were also able to showcase the expertise of Circa’s bartenders and the
high-end quality of the ingredients and creativity used in each of their cocktails.

In partnership with the hotel’s event team, Circa Sessions also became an experiential series. Participants were invited to in-person cocktail-making classes with the bartenders. Each event was inspired and themed according to the cocktail recipe focus for the evening. Thus, the New Authentic El Paso experience was brought to life in a manner that attracted an audience to the hotel and allowed them to leave with something they themselves could make use of when entertaining at home.

RESULTS

Through the creation of valuable and informative content, Hotel Indigo solidified its position as the “New Authentic El Paso” expert and maintained its “It” place status. The online magazine remains a vehicle that enables them to amplify their story and cultivate a meaningful audience connection.

thefifthstory.com