HIGHLIGHTS >>
Partnership Development • Client Pitching • Artist Negotiation & Onboarding • Web Design
<< THE STORY
In 2016, Hilton announced its forthcoming brand, Tru, with more than 300 openings scheduled in its first 3 years. Tru is Hilton’s youngest-leaning line, more affordable and playful in design than its predecessors. Hilton knew that they wanted a custom, hyperlocal vinyl mural showcasing some of the local flavor in each property, but they had no idea how to make this possibles, scalable, and on brand.
I dove deeply into Tru's marketing materials to unpack the brand's vision and projected impact on the hotel industry. I then conceptually and artistically developed a partnership proposal for full rollout, selecting an intimate collection of brand-friendly artists for Hilton’s pre-approval, developing compositional and directional guidelines for each forthcoming artwork, and designing specialized decks to bring franchise owners on board with the vision.
The proposal was met with overwhelming positivity and approval, landing Indiewalls a multi-year contract as the preferred mural generator for all Tru properties and securing 10 talented, emerging illustrators the unique opportunities to serve as world-class brand liaisons with a regular stream of incoming commissions. Once the program went live, I was able to further automate the process by assisting the creation of a dedicated online portal for hotel owners to easily browse completed works, select their preferred artist, and submit local elements that they'd like to see included on the mural.
To date, more than 50 hyperlocal murals have been created, shared, and enjoyed, generating more than 800k social impressions.
Above: past work by select approved Tru artists, which hotel owners use to select their preferred artist
Below: a sampling of completed murals
//ARTISTS:
JM Rizzi
Jay Crum
Alex Solis
Jay Roeder
Susana Paz
Dylan Balliett
Josh Lafayette