In an exciting expansion of the “Follow the Music” campaign, Motel 6 has partnered with rising star Carmen DeLeon to engage Hispanic audiences.
Before we hop into the campaign details, let’s start by understanding Motel 6’s position—economy lodging is a fiercely competitive space where brands often struggle to differentiate themselves. Travelers in this category usually make their choices based on location, price, and amenities, rather than emotional connections to a brand. Motel 6 aims to change that by tapping into the emotional connection people have with music and their favorite artists to build a deeper bond with the brand. From a KPI perspective, the focus is on driving site traffic for Motel 6.
For a campaign like this, the key is to partner with an emerging artist who has broad enough appeal to inspire action while still feeling authentic and relatable to the target audience. The hook to get the audience to click through is the sweepstakes for a VIP experience with Carmen DeLeon. While lead generation isn’t the primary metric for this campaign, it’ll be a valuable bonus.
For context, this approach mirrors the campaign we structured with Motel 6 and Abraham Alexander a year ago, which was so successful we recently launched our second campaign with him. Check out how that campaign successfully drove site traffic and bookings, and you’ll see why Motel 6 is expanding this strategy to reach new audiences.
I’m really loving the theme of this campaign—making unforgettable memories through travel and adventure accessible to everyone. And if you think this is just clever marketing, think again. Below, I’ll share a personal story that shows how Motel 6 played a part in one of my own cherished memories, making this campaign resonate on a deep level for me.
Did you know that nearly 40% of concert-goers are willing to travel to see their favorite artist? And here’s another (unofficial) statistic: 100% of people who travel love music! With the cost of everything rising, offering concert-goers, adventure-seekers, and savvy travelers a brand they can afford to create lasting memories with? I’m all for it!
Carmen DeLeon is the perfect artist to bring this campaign to life. For one, she’s an exciting rising star in Latin Pop . . . literally, she performed and won the “Rising Star” award at the 2023 Pepsi Music Awards Venezuela. But beyond that, she has such a fun social presence that feels genuine and approachable, and the content with Motel 6 feels right at home in her feed.
What really stood out to me about this partnership was Carmen’s genuine connection with Motel 6. When we brought her out to shoot the campaign, she specifically requested to stay at a Motel 6, which tells me two things: 1) Carmen DeLeon has an authentic affinity for the brand, which is crucial for transferring that connection to the target audience, and 2) Motel 6 is crushing the economy lodging game to be the top choice even when MAX is footing the bill!
I promised a personal story, so here you go. It’ll be a quick story about my first arena concert because this campaign brings back all the memories...and ALL the feels. It was November 2001, and as a broke college student, I traveled from Albuquerque, NM, to Phoenix, AZ, with my closest friends—Brian, Barb, and Beth—to see Weezer. We were all strapped for cash, spending most of our money on concert tickets and gas. We even considered sleeping in the car. But we managed to find a Motel 6 just outside downtown Phoenix, pooled our money, and rented one room with a queen bed. All four of us crammed onto that bed, lying side by side down the length of the bed just to fit.
The concert was unforgettable—Jimmy Eat World and Tenacious D opened. We had cheap seats, but when Weezer took the stage, the four of us stormed the floor, weaving through the crowd to get closer to the stage while dodging security. It was exhilarating, adding to the whole experience.
For fans of the movie “Inside Out,” you’ll understand when I say this was a core memory, and Motel 6 was part of that experience. That’s exactly what Motel 6 is achieving with music fans through this campaign. It’s not just a music partnership; it’s about making it possible, and affordable, for a new generation of music fans to create their own core memories!
Carmen DeLeon was born in Venezuela but moved to Spain in search of new musical opportunities as a teen. After participating in La Voz (The Voice) in Spain, she moved to Miami and released her debut single, "Volveras," in 2020. The single was produced by the popular urban producer Tainy and has over 900K streams on Spotify. Billboard named Carmen one of their "20 Latina Artists to Discover" in 2020, and she performed on Univision's NYE special. Carmen has since collaborated with famous artists such as Feid, Micro TDH, and more. With over 758K Spotify Monthly Listeners and nearly 90M views on YouTube, Carmen's newly released 2024 single 'El Vecino' has already garnered over 38K streams on Spotify.
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