Vintage Works: Behind Le Meridien Hotels' Newest Instagram Contest

Los Angeles-based photographer Gray Malin typically injects a playful spirit in his imagery with a retro sense of glamour from the analogue age of travel. After coming across Malin’s work by happenstance, George Fleck, VP, global brand management at Le Meridien Hotels, developed the hotel company’s latest social media campaign and Instagram contest around Malin’s work called Follow Me. The campaign was inspired by the Catch Me if You Can movie, in keeping with the sense of cheeky whimsy inherent in the artist's work. Fleck, Malin and their creative teams fly around the world to Le Meridien destinations for photo shoots, which are then pushed out on Le Meridien’s social channels. The exotic nature of the locales chosen from Bhutan to Barcelona are designed to inspire people to follow Gray's globetrotting to learn about the destinations through a visual-first, mobile-friendly user experience. To enter the contest, travelers have to follow @lemeridienhotels and @graymalin on Instagram, and then upload their own photos themed around "spontaneous travel" with the #FollowGrayContest hashtag. The winner, to be announced after April 15, wins 250,000 Starpoints. Since the contest’s launch last month, Le Meridien has been sharing the user-generated content on its Instagram and other social platforms. None of this is entirely new, of course, but this specific campaign provides insight into creating and crowdsourcing imagery that aligns with a unique hotel brand voice. Le Meridien Hotels differentiates itself as a gathering place for the Creative Class, beginning in the hotel lobbies called “The Hub.” The co-working, coffee shop-themed environments have video screens depicting Malin’s artwork from around the world, and the spaces are often used as platforms for events developed by the brand’s “LM100” coterie of global creative