Marriott celebrates Hong Kong Rugby Sevens with more silly Chabal antics

Marriott Hotels saw much success with its 2018 Hong Kong Sevens ad campaign. What’s not to like about retired French rugby Hulk Sébastien Chabal prancing around in fancy dress? Reed Collins, chief creative officer at Ogilvy Hong Kong, which created the ad, said it was voted ‘Best HK Rugby Sevens Ad of All Time’.

Well then, it would be frankly silly to ditch such a popular idea. And so Marriot Bonvoy, Marriott International’s replacement for its various hotel reward programmes, returns with more frank silliness with the great bear of a Frenchman at its heart.

This year’s offering sees Chabal and his alter-ego portray a Sevens lover, and someone who would rather be anywhere else. The punchline being that however you feel about the weekend festival of ludicrous fancy dress, stupendous drinking, riotous singing, and a little rugby, Marriott Bonvoy’s got you covered.

Three short videos highlight the Sevens weekend attractions, mentioning Gwen Stefani’s live performance, and also reminds you Marriott Bonvoy can help you escape to Fiji, should you prefer. In all instances, the humour is the same flavour of tittering schoolboy daftness, but fair play Marriott Bonvoy and Ogilvy, it most certainly raises a smile.

Especially with the campaign’s pièce de résistance: Chabal singing the Sevens’ unofficial anthem ‘500 Miles’ by The Proclaimers, which will play on the stadium big screen after the opening ceremony (above). Utterly ridiculous, predictably stupid, but yes, pretty funny.