Entering its fifth season as the “Official Hotel of the NFL,” Courtyard and its agency partners set out to develop a conversation-worthy idea to cut through the clutter around Super Bowl 50 to further elevate awareness of their NFL sponsorship. Being a hotel brand that celebrates the success of its guests, Courtyard decided to launch a season-long campaign that culminated with a once-in-a -lifetime experience (repetitive) – a chance to be the first fans ever to wake up in the stadium on Super Bowl Sunday.

To leverage the buzzworthy prize, the promotion was built around creating conversation. The winner was to be decided based on a series of social media challenges that extended to Twitter and Instagram. YouTube stars and NFL stars added to the fun, posting their own videos and helping us lead the discussion.

Courtyard by Marriott’s “Suite Stadium Contest” offered an unforgettable overnight stay at Levi’s Stadium the night before Super Bowl 50. The team coordinated with the league and Levi’s Stadium to transform a stadium suite into a Courtyard guest room, with beds, a lounge area, with an extraordinary view of Levi’s Stadium. Following the slumber party of the century, which included surprise visits from NFL stars during Super Bowl eve and morning, the winner and three guests stayed to watch Super Bowl 50.

The hotel brand built momentum with a season-long “Journey to Super Bowl 50” road trip that traveled through NFL markets across the country before reaching its big, final stop in San Francisco. Each stop brought a fun-filled fan fest complete with NFL-themed games, NFL legend appearances, samples from the brand’s Bistro and onsite opportunities to enter the “Suite Stadium Contest”.

The campaign exceeded Courtyard’s goals (outlined in the Background section). Some highlights:

• 364M PR impressions = $6M ad value (46% above goal)

• 56.9M Social impressions (184% above goal)

• 3.8M Video views – consumer & influencer videos on social & Microsite (27% above goal)

• CY.com/NFL saw 98% increase time on page YOY during contest duration

• Courtyard/Marriott cracked 20% recognition among NFL fans for the first time according to this year’s NFL Sponsor Loyalty Survey, conducted for Sports Business Journal by Turnkey Sports

• “Official Hotel of the NFL” was Courtyard’s #1 message in its Q4 measurement report conducted by MediaVantage (third party measurement group that services Marriott International)

• As a hotel brand, Courtyard views its sponsorship as a reward for its success-driven guests. Alaska’s Kristen Williams triumphed as the contest winner after amassing the highest number of votes after completing challenges on Twitter/ Instagram. Her historic Super Bowl stay exceeded her wildest expectations.