Paris Hilton returned to the Brand Innovators Beach stage at Cannes to talk about her various creative marketing work with brands, which has garnered her four Cannes Lions nominations working with brands like Y2K, Roblox and her family’s company Hilton.
“I partner with brands that resonate with my brand,” said the “original influencer” and CEO of 11:11 Media who is up for four Cannes Lions awards this year.
One campaign includes a 10-minute TikTok made with TBWA, Influential and TikTok for her Hilton. Since most TikTok videos last about five seconds, the idea of a 10-minute video was a stretch. The approach emerged from the idea that “the stay is what matters in the first brand campaign,” explained Amy Ferguson, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA.
“TikTok makes sense, as it is a fast lane to Gen Z,” added Ferguson. “We had the opportunity to flip the platform and convince users that nice things can happen when you slow down and you stay.”
The idea also came up when TikTok was launching long form. “We love to be the first for clients,” said Ferguson.
“Unexpected and amazing things can happen when you stay, and we want you to stay with us for 10 minutes,” the video, which stars Paris Hilton and highlights the benefits of a stay. The brand also gave away 10 million Hilton honors Points to encourage users to participate.
“Hilton for the stay, Paris for the slay,” said Hilton on the Brand Innovators stage to cheers. “I had such an incredible time making this campaign,” she added. “I watched it five times in a row and I have ADHD, which is a big deal. I know my grandfather would be so proud of me.”
Ryan Detert, chief executive officer at Influential, said they identified a diverse group of creators for the campaign reach a number of different audiences. “We pick what the brand wants to say and serve it to right group in right place at the right time,” he said.
