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TURNING A QUIET MOTEL INTO A REASON TO GET AWAY
Consumer Strategy | Positioning | Campaign Development
TNH Ad Agency, the largest student-run agency in the country | Strategist, one of 5 on a 10-person team | 2025 to 2026
THE CHALLENGE
The Gate is a boutique motel in Skaneateles, at the eastern gateway to the Finger Lakes. It needed a reason for anyone to book outside peak season, competing against a region people already think of as a summer destination.
THE INSIGHT
The case against the city isn't a mood. It is measurable. Air quality index: New York City 61, Skaneateles 33. Decibel level: 85 against 30. Density: Manhattan 79,000 people per square mile, Skaneateles 167. Once we had the numbers, we were no longer selling a vibe. We were selling a difference you could put a figure on.
THE POSITIONING
It's time for a break. Each statistic maps to something the guest gets back: the best place to rest your lungs, the best place to rest your ears, the best place to rest your mind. One idea, three parallel executions, and a line that works on a billboard or a caption.
THE CAMPAIGN
Campaign one, It's time for a break, runs the data comparisons against photography of the motel and the village. Campaign two, Take a Break at The Gate, targets parents weekend and Syracuse-specific audiences with a lighter, more conversational voice. Spec work, written to show range rather than to run.
THE DELIVERABLES
A full style guide covering tone, imagery direction, palette, typography and logo variations. Social feed and stories concepts, including Our Rooms As TV Shows and The Gate Through the Years. Print pieces for College Weekend and event hosting. An editorial spread built around the meaning of Skaneateles, the Iroquois word for long lake. Guest review cards with QR codes, and room walk-throughs for the site.
THE RESULT
The work won TNH's Best Insight award and became the client's winter campaign. I presented the strategy deck to the client.
WHAT I TOOK FROM IT
The research made the creative easier, not harder. I used to think the insight was the part you had to invent. Here it was the part we found, and once we found it the campaign almost wrote itself.
