Dive Brief:

• Marriott International launched the Marriott Media Network, an omnichannel cross-platform ad solution for marketers, according to a press release. The network will initially target travelers in the U.S. and Canada before expanding globally to encompass more than 164 million members of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.
• Once fully deployed, the network will carry inventory that spans Marriott's owned channels, including display, mobile, video, email and digital out-of-home, the latter of which features in-room television and digital screens. The Marriott Media Network is a full-stack collaboration that leverages Yahoo's sell-side platform (SSP) and demand-side platform (DSP).
• The launch, which Marriott claims is a first for the hospitality industry, follows explosive growth in the retail media space as advertisers look to better target and track consumers amid a tightening of data privacy rules on other digital platforms.

Dive Insight:

Marriott is getting into the media network game, giving advertisers an omnichannel solution for reaching high-intent travelers on the path to purchase, pre-arrival and during their stay. The network aims to provide premium ad inventory over a variety of Marriott's owned channels on which brands can deliver curated experiences.

With the rollout, Marriott is a first-mover in the hospitality industry to adopt a media network. Over the last few years, media networks have seen explosive growth in the retail category as brands such as Walmart, CVS, Albertsons and Macy's ramp up their ad sales divisions and reap revenue rewards. In kind, ad holding groups including WPP and Publicis have increased investments and partnerships related to retail media.

While initially targeted at travelers in the U.S. and Canada, Marriott plans to expand its platform globally, offering advertisers the opportunity to get in front of the 164 million members of its Bonvoy loyalty program. To gather valuable first-party data, Marriott has worked to boost Bonvoy in a variety of ways, embracing emerging digital platforms like TikTok and nonfungible tokens. 

The Marriott Media Network is a full-stack collaboration with Yahoo. The Yahoo SSP will serve as the exclusive access point for the network, and the global Yahoo ad sales team will leverage the company's DSP to lead demand generation and sales across the network and Marriott's paid media. Yahoo claims the integrated approach allows advertisers and publishers to see more value in their content, audiences and marketing.

The media network comes as consumers return to pre-pandemic activities like travel, despite the continuing effects of pandemic and rising inflation. Marriott in the first quarter of 2022 saw the largest surge in global demand since the COVID-19 crisis began, per its latest earnings report. The company exceeded Wall Street estimates but gave cautious guidance for the future, per Barron's.