This Brand Works Wins Global Rebrand Work for Hostelling International
This Brand Works, a fast-growing brand consultancy led by ex-Virgin Atlantic and eBay marketer Rebecca McKee, has won the global branding brief for Hostelling International (HI) following a competitive five-way pitch.
Hostelling International, a non-profit organisation that aims to create better understanding between people through travel and experiences, selected This Brand Works to develop a new brand strategy, re-establishing the organisation among its core audiences. The project will also involve digital transformation support, working with the client’s in-house team.
Rebecca said: “We’re incredibly excited about this project - travel and tourism is something we’re already hugely passionate about, but the mission of Hostelling International brings an important dimension to the brief. Its mission to make travel accessible and sustainable was defined in 1932 and still has enormous relevance today, so we’re buzzing to get started.”
With 64 member associations internationally, including the Youth Hostel Association (YHA), the HI network is one of the world’s largest providers of overnight stays - providing 21.4 million global overnights in 2022 alone.
This Brand Works is a brand consultancy that uses a formidable black book of industry experts to deliver strategic insight and creative output. Rebecca, who founded the business in 2021 after an in-house career in brands including Virgin Atlantic, Sky, and eBay, provides the personalised service of a boutique agency with big agency thinking.
The frontline team on the project will include, digital transformation lead Gareth Dunlop, brand strategist Jenna Lloyd and Creative lead Gemma Armstrong.
Rebecca said: “This is a brilliant team with amazing experience, and we felt there was a great dynamic with the HI client as soon as we met them. There’s so much potential to do great work to help change people’s lives through HI’s purpose to make travel accessible to all, and to win the work against such a strong line-up of agencies was a pretty exhilarating moment for us as a small agency.”
Brianda Lopez CEO of Hostelling International, said: “This Brand Works very quickly got under the skin of what we were trying to do with this brief. It was not an easy pitch and during the process, they wowed us not only with their connection to the project but also their strategic thinking. From very early on they challenged our thinking and the whole team got excited by their proposition. This is a really important project for us and - we can’t wait to create something amazing for the next chapter in the Hostelling International story.”