Sponsorship activation can often lean towards creating paid content and brand noise. Accor wanted to prove the power of pure earned media – where creativity, cultural resonance, and storytelling drive impact.
Novotel, Accor’s founding hotel brand, wanted to drive cultural relevance across multiple markets to re-invigorate and reinforce the brand’s leadership position. Tapping into ALL Accor’s existing sponsorship of football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Novotel leveraged the cultural icon to turbo charge brand fame in a unique, ambitious and relevant way. A phased campaign first placed Novotel at the very heart of PSG at the Parc des Princes and then took PSG into the core of Novotel hotels worldwide.
Other hotel brands have done pop up rooms in the past, but this was different. Novotel first created the world’s first purpose built permanent hotel room built inside an existing football stadium with a unique brand-curated guest experience. And then co-designed unique rooms with PSG legends – blending personal memorabilia and exclusive digital content for guests – in flagship Novotel hotels across eight international markets.
The media loved it with nearly 1,000 media articles across 30+ countries with a 2.9bn cumulative audience. Awareness and Brand Love grew, Novotel.com saw 35% increased web traffic and YouGov named Novotel France’s “Most Improved Brand” in 2025 despite no other major marketing initiative. PSG was not the only one to win trophies last season!
