Results.

“Hotelie for Life” has taken firm root across the global alumni base as its “Just Do It.” The line has become inseparable from the brand identity and is so important to the alumni association that it has been trademarked as a key brand asset. It remains the key message in all alumni association communications and social media. It has also been adopted by the (now) Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration for use in all school-based alumni communications, which is indicative of the overall success of the campaign and brand platform.

The initial launch of the campaign and communication hub generated more than 900 new paid memberships in its first year and a significant increase in engagement, including robust opt-in for a new lifetime membership. The original engagement website has now evolved into a full-fledged global engagement platform, The CHS Lobby, connecting alumni around the world and across generations with 24/7 access.

A logo that would signal hospitality leadership worldwide.

CHS needed a simple, sophisticated mark that would translate well across a variety of materials — from physical environments where CHS alumni would gather to digital environments to lapel pins — and that could be a symbol of unity and hospitality for members worldwide. A distinctive take on the pineapple was universally meaningful.

Creating a system rich with message and meaning.

We developed a secondary color palette and graphic elements including patterns based on the pineapple theme and Cornell’s distinctive red. A dramatic and authentic black-and-white photo style empowered alumni to see themselves in communication and tapped into felt needs to belong, connect, and be seen as global industry leaders. These elements were put to use in a variety of materials for a multichannel content strategy, including mailers, pop-up banners, social media, a microsite, and lapel pins, which became a point of pride for members.