Jenna Berg joined Motel 6 amid the pandemic with a seemingly impossible task: Modernize a 60-year-old brand with a new campaign and agency—without losing its existing brand equity.
Berg—who joined the lodging chain as managing director of brand marketing in June 2020—had a history with the brand and its parent, G6 Hospitality, since she had previously worked at The Richards Group, the longtime Motel 6 agency. Berg conducted the search that resulted in the appointment of Barkley and a subtle twist on the brand's 35-year-old tagline, “We’ll leave the light on,” by adding the words “for you.”
The emotional campaign shines that light on the diverse customers of the budget-friendly lodger, such as grandparents going to see their grandchildren for the first time. “We are telling the stories of a lot of our guests who would not be able to take the trips that they are taking if there wasn't a Motel 6 there,” Berg said. “We wanted to elevate those stories.”