America’s Welcoming Neighbor: BRIGADE Refreshes AmericInn by Wyndham
AmericInn by Wyndham came to us for a brand refresh, with a focus on developing a consistent look and feel that would support their America’s Welcoming Neighbor positioning, differentiate them from competitors, and help them transition from a regional brand to one with national presence as part of the Wyndham family. In response to these goals, and their evolving target market including younger couples, families, and business travelers, we developed a new creative campaign — “In Pursuit of” — with an updated visual identity, tone of voice, and brand guidelines. We then executed the campaign in on-premise collateral, provided templates for out of home (OOH), print and digital ads, and shot nine video spots for social advertising.
Bringing genuine hospitality to life
As America’s welcoming neighbor, the heart of the AmericInn brand is genuine hospitality delivered by hard-working people. To ensure we were tying that feeling to the new campaign, we started with a revitalized brand mantra that would inspire the creative.
Hard work. Everyday kindness. The belief that we can make tomorrow better than today. These are the values we bring to our hotel, and guideposts for how we treat each and every guest. Whether you’re here for work, fun, or an old friend’s wedding, we’ll never stop giving it our all, because we’re proud to be America’s welcoming neighbor.
“We wanted to connect AmericInn’s values with their guests’ values,” said Joe Marden, Associate Creative Director at BRIGADE. “The brand speaks to hardworking people who care and are genuine.”
“AmericInn lives it, too,” said Karen Leet, Account Manager at BRIGADE. “You can see it in their people, from the front desk to management. They’re more engaged in their local community than a lot of hotels. Being neighborly is a major focus.”
Shaping the campaign
The new campaign platform grew from the brand tagline “In Pursuit of Genuine Hospitality,” solidifying for guests and potential owners that AmericInn is a quality hotel with old-fashioned American values. To bring the campaign to life on premise and in print and digital ads, we created a versatile headline device using “In Pursuit of” with a variety of aspirational phrases. One of the final ads shows a woman walking out of the hotel with a cup of coffee. The headline reads, “In pursuit of a strong start,” emphasizing amenities while using a simple statement people can connect to.
“It’s a versatile device. Something that can adjust to suit messages focused on lifestyle moments or the brand itself,” said Marden.
Creating a clean, contemporary visual identity
Patriotism is a powerful, relatable key component of the AmericInn brand that provides a way to differentiate them among midscale hotels, both inside and outside of the Wyndham portfolio. We built campaign elements around a core value for our country: the freedom to pursue your own form of happiness. AmericInn is always in pursuit of genuine hospitality. Their guests, however, may be in pursuit of a sweet family reunion, or a strong start to their business trip. By recognizing that we all travel for different reasons, the “In pursuit of” framework puts the guest first and allows them to adjust messaging for different segments.
From on-premise collateral to OOH, print/digital ads and a social video campaign, we’re letting guests know that whatever they’re in pursuit of, AmericInn is proud to care for them as America’s welcoming neighbor.
In designing the new visual identity, we focused on creating a friendly, contemporary aesthetic. The final color palette has bold shades of red, white, and navy, providing a nod to AmericInn’s patriotic spirit. Strong headline treatments and natural lifestyle and property photography create visual balance, and support the brand’s welcoming, aspirational tone. And an angled star design element adds a dynamic feel to the creative, working as a framing device or a subtle texture depending on the application.
Welcoming a variety of audiences
As an extension of the brand refresh, and in an effort to integrate AmericInn with the Wyndham family of hotels, we created an owner-facing brand video. “We’re supporting the brand on the franchise side and consumer side, ensuring brand consistency while addressing the unique needs of multiple audiences,” said Leet.
Building on our consumer-facing efforts with the brand, we wrote and co-produced a series of digital ads for social media. Capturing resonant emotional moments in the journeys of business and family travelers, the ads emphasize the warmth and hospitality awaiting every AmericInn guest.
We wrote the scripts and created art cards and titles for the ads, sourced on-screen and voiceover talent, collaborated on creative direction and editing, and provided on-set still photography. The ads were filmed over two days in Winona and Lake City, Minnesota, alongside Ferralli Studios — a trusted production partner we collaborated with on a digital project for Baymont by Wyndham.
With a refreshed identity, engaging social campaign, and updated B2B materials, AmericInn is prepared to deliver genuine hospitality to guests — and drive more business for hotel owners within the Wyndham family.
View more of the work here
