Challenge
citizenM was opening a new hotel in Austin, Texas, and needed to build buzz and attract people with personality. They wanted to connect with potential hires who embrace both service and creativity. The brief came down hard: move fast, focus on social media, get eyeballs, and build something that feels playful and true to citizenM’s quirky, hospitality-first brand.
Approach
We began with a deep dive into citizenM: their visuals, voice, hotel design, and how they show up online. The first round of creative leaned static—message cards, property photography—but the client felt it lacked energy. I proposed using carousel posts to bring motion into the mix, mixing live shots of employees and hotel spaces to tell a story. Feedback pushed us further: video was powerful but risky given content and copyright constraints. So we pivoted to TikTok-style micro animations paired with animated text and hotel-inspired elements—something bold and playful that fits in feeds and captures personality.
citizenM US location photos
Execution
With limited video content available, I mocked up static and video-based ideas, learned what we could use and what needed to be built from scratch. Once we landed on micro animations, I built four versions with motion and animated text that worked in different crops and formats for Instagram, job boards, socials. Creative Director handled copy and image sourcing, I focused on animation builds and layout compatibility. Revision rounds refined CTA placement, pacing, and copy clarity. Everything was built to launch quickly and stay consistent across platforms.
Social media carousel mockups
Social media video mockup
Outcomes
The campaign outperformed expectations. It generated 26,000 clicks, over 1.5 million candidate impressions, around 40,000 social engagements, and a solid 1.72% click-through rate. Hundreds of applicants showed up at the hiring event. The content was successful enough the client requested repurposing the animations for a similar campaign in Menlo Park later that year. Beyond metrics, the visuals cut through: employees and candidate audiences responded to the personality and movement in the animations in a way static content had not achieved.
Final social media animations
Next Steps & Insights
This project reminded me how important it is to plan for format flexibility early—animations, carousel, text overlays—so pivots feel natural not forced. Also, content sourcing matters: when video is limited, learning what assets you can repurpose is a lifesaver. For future campaigns, I’d build a small asset library of micro-animations and motion elements ahead of time to speed production. I’d also test teaser versions of animations to drive buzz before full launch. And finally, more immersive formats—stories, vertical video, live-event visuals—could amplify reach and personality even more.
Campaign Stats
