MELT AND INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL GROUP (IHG) AND THEIR NEW BRAND AVID HOTEL NAMED AS FINALIST FOR PRESTIGIOUS THE DRUM MARKETING AWARDS USA 2019; NOMINATION IS FOR THE EVENT/EXPERIENTIAL STRATEGY CATEGORY SUPPORTING IHG’S FIRST NEW BRAND LAUNCH IN YEARS
MELT, the Atlanta-based, award-winning sports, entertainment, culinary, lifestyle and esports marketing agency announced today that they and their client, The Intercontinental Hotel Group/AVID Hotel Brand has been named a finalist in the Event/Experiential Strategy category for a prestigious Drum Marketing Award USA 2019. The Drum is a UK-based marketing and trade industry media and multi-platform company that provides marketing and advertising agency executives global insight into the marketing industry and profession.
MELT has worked with The Intercontinental Hotel Group for several years including their activation of Holiday Inn Express, The Southeastern Conference (SEC), SEC Network, SEC Nation and The Paul Finebaum Show sponsorship. When executives from IHG first approached MELT Founder/Chairman and CEO Vince Thompson about the opportunity to help the global company launch its first new hotel brand, AVID, in many years, Thompson and his team at MELT jumped at the opportunity.
“MELT has had a great, longstanding relationship with IHG, Holiday Inn Express and their leaders for many years,” said Thompson. “And to be a part of a new important phase and evolution of their company, their brand and to reach travelers and consumers, was certainly an honor.”
The launch of the first AVID Hotel was in the fall of 2018 in Oklahoma City, OK. The strategy was to showcase AVID to a new set of consumers who are both travel-savvy and price-conscious. Events and activities included a gala, an appearance by American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, integration into the Oklahoma Thunder NBA team, the Oklahoma State Fair and many other activities. The MELT AVID Account Service and Management Team was led by Vice President Travis Rice with support from Darbi Lou Todd and Eddie Martin.
MELT continues a hot-streak in the marketing industry and industry awards as this is their 13th award or nomination since 2017 including:
- 2019 Drum Marketing Awards USA Finalist- Best Event/Experiential Strategy: MELT & IHG’s Avid Hotels Pop-Up Tour
- 2019 Interactive Marketing Awards- Shortlist
- Best Social Media Campaign: MELT & Coca-Cola College Gameday Snapchat
- Best Influencer/ Outreach Campaign: MELT & Coca-Cola Company Valser Influencer Strategy
- 2019 Atlanta Magazine- Top 500 Business Leaders: Vince Thompson
- 2018 BizBash500 List- Top 500 People in Events: Vince Thompson
- 2018 Event Marketer Top 100 “It List”- Top 100 Agencies
- 2018 Atlanta Business Chronicle Most Admired CEO: Vince Thompson
- 2018 Silver Stevie Award- Brand Experience of the Year- Consumer: Taste of the Tournament for Kroger, Hershey’s. Mondelez & The Coca-Cola Company
- 2018 PR News and Social Media Award- Best Use of Filter (Snapchat): Coca-Cola ESPN College Gameday
- 2018 Social Good Influencers- Honorable Mention: MELT University
- 2018 Cynopsis Sports Media Award- Honorable Mention for Use of Snapchat: Coca-Cola ESPN College Gameday
- 2018 Shopper Marketing Effie Award- Multi-Brand/Manufacturer Shopper Solution: Taste of the Tournament for Kroger, Hershey’s, Mondelez, & The Coca-Cola Company
- 2017 Experience Design and Technology Awards- Best Permanent or Pop-Up Retail Experience: The Coca-Cola Kitchen
- 2017 Stevie (American Business Awards)- Marketing/Advertising Agency of the Year
The Drum Marketing Awards will be held April 11 at The Edison Ballroom in New York City. More information can be found by logging on to http://www.thedrummarketingawards.us/ or following The Drum on Twitter.
Finalists for the Drum Marketing Awards include: AT&T, Boeing, Ford Motor Company, Johnsonville, The Wall Street Journal, Schick, No Kid Hungry, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Verizon, Chapstick, Mayo Clinic, Miracle Whip, Esurance, General Motors, Samsung, Adobe, The Home Depot, Diane Von Furstenberg, Behr, Beats by Dre, David’s Bridal, and other well-known brands.
“I’m so proud of our MELT team, our relationship with IHG and all the great work that we’ve done together,” said Thompson. “Our teams continue to shine and do tremendous thinking, work, and execution.”
About MELT
Founded by CEO Vince Thompson in 2000, MELT, LLC, is an Atlanta based fully-integrated sports, esports, entertainment culinary and lifestyle marketing agency offering clients advertising, original content development, digital, social media, event and experiential marketing, retail and consumer promotions, brand strategy and sports property evaluation and activation. MELT has won and been nominated for numerous awards; Interactive 2019 Marketing Awards, 2018 BizBash Top 500 People in Events, Atlanta Business Chronicle 2018 Most Admired CEO, Event Marketer’s 100 “IT” List, 2018 American Business, 2018 Shopper Marketing Effie, 2018 PR News Social Media, 2018 Cynopsis Sports Media, 2018 Cynopsis Social Good, 2017 Event Marketer, 2017 and 2015 ABA Agency of The Year, 2015 Cynopsis Social Good, 2014 Cynopsis Brand Marketer, Event Marketer EX Award, Biz Bash Top 50 Event Producer and Adweek Buzz Award. Check us out at www.meltatl.com, or on social media.