The Dolder Grand celebrates its 125th anniversary with a non-branding campaign
Zurich luxury hotel The Dolder Grand is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and is marking the occasion with an unconventional communication approach. The campaign is being played out in various international cities - without a sender or brand logo.
With the claim "Celebrating Expectionality", the Dolder Grand is celebrating its 125th anniversary and also wants to manifest its role as a Swiss hotel icon. The campaign is intended to emphasize that the Dolder Grand is still a meeting place for international clientele who "appreciate the unique hospitality, the unique ambience and the unconventional in a special location", the hotel writes in a press release.
The Charles Blunier agency, which was already responsible for the rebranding of the hotel in 2019, has worked with the Dolder Grand's marketing department and General Manager Markus Granelli to develop a multi-faceted communication concept designed to attract attention from guests and within the industry.
The core of the communication strategy is an international OOH campaign that works with different wordings such as "Hollywood stars stay here", "Fashion designers stay here" or "Royals stay here". The layout is kept in a strict black and white typography and dispenses with both a motif and a logo or any other reference to the sender. Only a prominent QR code provides information about who is behind the campaign.
The aim of the campaign is to arouse the curiosity of viewers simply through the wordings and the otherwise anonymous design idea. The QR scan leads to the Dolder Grand website, which provides an insight into the "Guest Book", a tribute to forgotten moments and stories from the Belle Epoque to the 21st century.
Following the same idea as the OOH campaign, the subjects will be displayed in the form of print ads in well-known travel and lifestyle titles as well as online ads. The focus of the anniversary communication will include collaboration with the German-language edition of the Vogue. In addition to the traditional advertisements and online content, a joint event will be held in autumn 2024 to mark the anniversary. The campaign idea and additional content worlds will also be played out on social media to mark the 125th anniversary of the Zurich luxury resort.
