Grand Holiday Campaign
Concept development, art direction, photo shoot direction, lead design
2025 AAF NYC Silver ADDY Award Winner: Social Media Campaign
How Hotel Lobby Candle Found Its Holiday Icons on Instagram — By Asking for Your Grandma
HOTEL LOBBY CANDLE • GRAND HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN • OCTOBER 2025
THE CHALLENGE
For its 2025 holiday launch, Hotel Lobby Candle needed to introduce two new scents, revive a cult favorite, and debut the brand’s first-ever holiday diffuser—all while cutting through the noise of a crowded gifting season. The goal was a social-first campaign that felt cinematic, culturally relevant, and emotionally resonant. Not another polished luxury ad. Something people would actually stop scrolling for.
THE INSIGHT
Luxury fragrance advertising overwhelmingly centers around youth. Yet the women who taught us how to host, how to dress, how to entertain, and how to make holidays feel special are almost never seen in modern campaigns.
“The most glamorous women we know aren’t influencers—they’re our grandmothers.”
At the same time, social media rewards authenticity and unexpected cultural moments. The opportunity was clear: close that gap.
THE CASTING CALL
When the team reached out to every top modeling agency in New York, they discovered that not a single one represented women over 80. So they went directly to the community.
““We put out a call on Instagram — ‘We want your grandma!’ — and within 24 hours, we were flooded with submissions. The three women we ended up selecting had no modeling experience, but they were truly born to be stars.””
MEET THE CAST
Marge Sr.
Age 79
Hungarian-born. Arrived in full glam and 5-inch heels. When asked her preferred angle: “every angle is my angle.”
Paula
Age 90
Palm Beach icon. Never leaves home without lipstick, her Manolos, and her bedazzled cane. Known to family as “Glamma”.
Renée
Age 87
Elegant and sharp. Showed up to set asking where the lighting was best. A lifelong New Yorker by way of Belgium and Paris.
THE BIG IDEA
The campaign was framed as a film — complete with a cinematic poster drop introducing the Grand Holiday Collection. Three scents. Three icons. One unforgettable season. By treating the launch like an entertainment moment, the brand made fragrance feel like a cultural event.
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Cryptic posts hinting at the collection — “Something grand is coming.” Early access offered via text sign-up.
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A full movie poster-style image dropped on Instagram, introducing all three cast members and the collection name.
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Individual posts for each woman with personality bios, quotes, and humor-forward captions that treated them as true stars.
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Scent introductions woven into the narrative — holiday, glamour, hosting — rather than treated as standalone product posts.
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Email, digital ads, a dedicated landing page, a NYC pop-up, and continued social content kept momentum through the full holiday season.
Results
“17M+ views across Instagram & TikTok”
“14K engagements across all content”
“10.15x ROAS on paid social”
“1K+ new social followers gained”
The campaign succeeded because it was built on a genuine tension: an industry that ignores older women, and a brand that decided to celebrate them instead. The community-driven casting call turned the audience into participants before the product even launched, and treating the models as characters — not props — gave the content a personality that ads rarely have.
