THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Industry

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Auto See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Beauty See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Business to Business See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Consumer Brand See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Education See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Entertainment See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Financial Services See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Fitness, Health, & Wellness
<br>See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Food & Beverage
See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Gaming See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Government & Politics See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Hospitality See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Insurance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Live Events See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> News & Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Non-Profit See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Pets & Animals See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Pharma & Healthcare See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Estate See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Restaurants See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Retail & E-Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Activism See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Sports See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Television See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Travel & Tourism See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Wine, Beer & Spirits

Strategy & Engagement

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Brand Partnership See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Call to Action See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Community Management See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Creative Use of Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> CTV/OTT See previous winners and honorees for Insights and Trends here.</a> <a href=https://shortyawards.com/17th/"https://shortyawards.com/category/16th/data-visualization">See previous winners and honorees for Data Visualization here.</a>"> Data & Insights See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Earned Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Event & Experiential See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Gamification See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Humor See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Innovative Media Buying Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Integration with Traditional Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Internal Communications See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> LGBTQ Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Micro-Influencer Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Multicultural Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Music & Dance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> On a Shoestring See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Organic Promotion See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Paid & Amplification See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Physical and Digital Convergence See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Public Service Announcement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Time Response See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> SEO & SEM See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Storytelling

The Always-On Influencer Model That’s Redefining Hospitality

Finalist in Hospitality

Objective

MGM Resorts’ diverse properties hold a unique persona, from luxury resorts like the ARIA and Bellagio to Mandalay Bay with family-friendly entertainment offerings. As such, we carefully selected 50 influencers, with the intention of aligning each influencer's content style and persona with the unique characteristics of the MGM Resorts property where they would be a guest. By partnering with influencers at pivotal life moments—like dreamy babymoons, unforgettable engagements, and milestone birthdays—we crafted personalized experiences that didn’t just capture the attention of their audience but resonated deeply with both the influencers' followers and MGM Resorts’ target audience. By integrating influencers into MGM Resorts' marketing calendar, we ensured the campaigns maintained a consistent presence, amplifying the brand’s visibility. This personalized and scalable model enabled MGM Resorts to maintain a high level of engagement across various properties while maximizing the impact of each influencer relationship. 

 

This collaboration was conceived through an "always-on" content strategy that capitalized on unique moments and ensured that MGM Resorts remained top-of-mind with its target audience and created an ongoing, authentic conversation. For instance, in the wake of influencer Tianna Robillard’s highly covered breakup, we curated a personalized girls’ trip for Tianna and her friends, including a curated itinerary that resonated deeply with her. The trip was so impactful to Tianna that she posted more content than initially agreed upon, showcasing the power of authentic, tailored experiences.

 

Strategy

However, the campaigns aren’t without its challenges. Ensuring influencers' content felt personal and authentic to the MGM Resorts brand required careful selection of the right partners and close collaboration. This authenticity and brand alignment balance was key to the campaign's success. We harnessed powerful analytics tools to measure success and track key social, brand, and business metrics, ensuring we could showcase the campaign’s impact and deliver undeniable ROI. The data collected proved the campaign's effectiveness, reinforcing the importance of a thoughtful, influencer-driven marketing approach.

 

Results

The results far exceeded our expectations and met the team's objectives. Within the first eight months, the campaign generated over 45 million impressions. We surpassed the goal of maintaining a 3% engagement rate with an impressive increase to an 6.4% organic engagement rate. We also saw a significant increase in MGM Resorts' online brand sentiment, jumping from 73% in May 2024, prior to partnering with Viral Nation, to 86% as of December 2024. The sentiment of campaign posts also rose from 88% in May 2024, prior to partnering with Viral Nation, to 99% as of December 2024. Additionally, more than 500 pieces of content were created, further amplifying the campaign’s reach. These results demonstrate the campaign’s success in driving engagement, enhancing brand perception, and generating a measurable impact, making it a standout in influencer marketing.

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Viral Nation, MGM Resorts

Links

Entry Credits