Ad Age unveiled it Marketing 50 for 2008 - a collection of case studies by winning brands. This year’s group includes two hotel brands, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas and Hilton Hotels.

The Hard Rock is part of the venerable Morgans portfolio, whose founder, Ian Schraeger, has tapped LGD for work in the past (check out work for Shore Club and Mondrian in the LGD Gallery). They’ve injected $1 billion into revamping the property, and enjoyed big success in ‘08 with their popular Rehab pool party. READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Hilton, meanwhile, targeted the “smoke and mirrors” of hospitality promises with a firm “no blackout dates” mantra. Ad dollars pumped into both online and offline efforts resulted in a year of increased numbers, at a time when the whole sector is scrambling to retain customers. READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

In the midst of the ongoing economic crisis, marketers worldwide are being asked to maximize budgets through increasingly unique and (hopefully) effective efforts to reach embattled consumers. An article in The New York Times Media & Advertising section today detailed new strategies being used by one of the world’s most depressed sectors - banking. Stuart Elliot outlines some of these lighter approaches to connecting with consumers, from free pizza to humor intended to assuage fear and generate a feeling of camaraderie.

In luxury hospitality, the challenge of putting heads on beds is ratcheting up for 2009, and operators like Elite Islands Resorts in the Caribbean are creating very out-of-the-box incentives: Paying to stay with your stocks, for instance. Instead of cash, Elite will take your S&P 100 shares at their July 1, pre-collapse value. Emotionally, it reminds vacationers of better days, and realistically, it can generate savings of up to 50%. For Elite, it lures customers to luxury destinations at a time when such indulgences are off the radar for most.

Finally in hotel marketing news, the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA), unveiled in its Winter Meeting advice on making 2009 a successful year.

LGD’s foremost clients - Gran Melia and ME by Melia, two hotel & resort brands operated by the Spanish hospitality giant Sol Melia - ran very special full-page ads in this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach Magazine. ABMB Mag is the official publication of the world-famous art fair, and a major annual venue for luxury brands.

The Gran Melia ad is on a stiff, plastic-like stock that readers couldn’t help but flip to. Its pearl sheen gave the insert a luxurious feel, while the ME by Melia ad utilized velvety paper and special metallic ink. This combination of sensually tactile media and flashy type was a show-stopper, and reflects the brand’s young, sexy image.

Both ads were produced by LGD and are among the agency’s finest print products of 2008.

© 2008 LGD Communications, Inc.

Daniel Borst and Renee Fernandini, Art Directors; Chris McCauley, Copywriter

LGD continues to roll out new phases of the “It Campaign,” most recently with full-page color ads in national publications such as Art Basel Miami Beach Magazine (a Niche Media magazine) and The Real Deal, a leading real estate publication.

The arresting 3D rendering of an unearthed, glowing it represents LGD’s unique branding and marketing process: We identify the magnetic quality that makes a good brand great - your it - and deliver your it to the people it fits. So far the campaign has received great feedback, especially in New York where LGD’s President, Len Dugow, spent the bulk of his career.

© 2008 LGD Communications, Inc.

Andy Hunt, Art Director; Christian Cipriani, Copywriter

LGD recently finished designing a sleek eBrochure for Hotel De Soleil South Beach. The piece uses eBook technology and has been well received thus far by the public. CLICK THE PHOTO TO VIEW.

© 2008 LGD Communications, Inc.

Eduardo Monserrate, Art Director; Chris Vanpoos, Programmer; Christian Cipriani, Copywriter

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EACH year, the employees of the Detroit office of Mullen, who work on advertising for General Motors’ used cars and credit cards, usually throw a Christmas party to which they can bring spouses or partners.

Not this year. With the crisis confronting G.M. and the other American automobile manufacturers, “they toned it down to an employee-only dinner,” said a spokesman for Mullen, David Swaebe, “a very low-key dinner.”

Read the full article

In light of recession hardship faced by many families this holiday season, LGD is skipping their usual gift exchange and instead using its resources to benefit the local community. Employees are donating unwrapped gifts to the cancer ward of Miami Children’s Hospital and canned goods to Curley’s House of Style, two charity missions coordinated by LGD’s spectacular executive assistant, Yvette Soza.

Curley’s House of Style in particular needs help, after the Liberty City-based food pantry lost most of its inventory in a massive, heartless robbery just as the holidays got underway.