Sheraton goes to bat for MLB with digital video series

Dive Brief:

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, has partnered with Major League Baseball (MLB) for an original digital video series called "Beyond Influential," according to a news release. The effort is part of Sheraton's new "Go Beyond" brand platform and Sheraton is the official hotel of the MLB.
The series features four current and former pro baseball stars sharing their previously untold, personal stories. Players include Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series champion Kyle Schwarber, 12-time All-Star and World Series champion Dave Winfield, 2013 National League MVP Andrew McCutchen and two-time World Series champion Shane Victorino. The series runs throughout May with a new video published on MLB.com each Tuesday.
The "Go Beyond" initiative was inspired by Sheraton's associates' "restless drive to go above and beyond" for hotel guests, per the press release, as well as to celebrate the hotel brand's 80th year. A YouTube video announcing the partnership is also part of the rollout.

Dive Insight:

The hospitality space is always competitive, especially heading into the U.S. summer vacation season — also a peak time for baseball. By offering up some exclusive MLB content, Sheraton might be catching the attention of hardcore fans looking for a place to stay on their trips to see the next game.

Sheraton's parent company Marriott International has been dipping its toes in the waters of a variety of innovative or on-trend digital marketing tactics. It's tested digital assistant powered rooms with Amazon Alexa and Apple's Siri to enhance the guest experience; toured influencers around the world in the travel industry's first-ever Snapchat original series and transformed its "Two Bellmen" short films into a viral hit.

"Beyond Influential" fits neatly into the brand's existing original video content strategy, with the added benefit of featuring baseball stars who can double as influencers. The IAB recently released a report that found advertiser's investment in original digital video programming has nearly doubled over the past two years, with 80% of surveyed execs saying they plan to further increase spend this year.

For the promotion, Sheraton's SVP and Global Brand Officer Brian McGuinness said his ambition "coincides perfectly with the inspiring stories from select MLB players who are paying tribute to those that have gone beyond for them."