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Hotel Ad Doesn't Push Envelope, It Flushes It
August 7, 2008

Extended Stay Hotels has put out what has to be considered the most shockingly gross marketing effort in the history of the hotel industry.

The Internet-only video, "A Girl, Her Tongue and a Hotel Room," delivers just what the title promises—it's simply an attractive young woman wandering around an Extended Stay America guestroom, um, licking things. Among the items licked include a TV remote, a toaster, the shower curtain and—wait for it—the toilet bowl.

Yeah, they went there.

Even Extended Stay's (soon to be former) external press agency, Murphy O'Brien Public Relations, wanted nothing to do with the ad. "We absolutely are not involved with this, we want to make that clear," said Murphy O'Brien senior account executive Sarah Smith when I asked her for comment today. 

The ad, according to Creativity magazine, was created by the agency Mullen.

It's not "adult content" in the traditional sense, but it's not exactly family friendly, either. In fact, my company's Internet firewall wouldn't even let me access the YouTube version of the video (and thus, I can't embed it) because YouTube requires age verification to view it. If that link doesn't work, you can try viewing it here.

The ad's overall effectiveness is disputable, but it has certainly gotten the brand some attention. Like anything else that pushes the envelope way, way too far, the ad has people talking. The blog post about the ad at Creativity Online includes this comment: "As disturbing and gross as I find the spot. I couldn't stop watching it either."

This Los Angeles Times blogger likes the ad a bit more than I do, so maybe it's not universally revolting. In the comments section of that blog is this interesting (and unverifiable) tidbit from an anonymous reader: "It's a real hotel room. i worked for that company for many years before leaving this summer. ESH didn't have extra rooms they just used as production models. That girl made $25K for that bit. And believe me, that room was cleaned within in inch of its life."

I've got a call in to the Extended Stay marketing department and will post comment from them once they call me back. 

So, um, in the meantime ... what do you think?

Posted by Adam Kirby on August 7, 2008 | Comments (4)