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Hyatt launches new global campaign focusing on empathy, ad to run during Oscars

Lucy Handley; special to CNBC.com
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Robyn Meck | AFP | Getty Images

Global hotelier Hyatt is to launch a new global advertising campaign during this Sunday's Oscars' broadcast on ABC, focusing on moments of understanding around the world.

Set to the background of "What the world needs now is love," the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song, sung in the spot by Andra Day, it shows a series of small gestures between travelers filmed in Thailand, Morocco and Spain.

Hyatt will also launch its World of Hyatt loyalty program on March 1 as part of the initiative, it said in an emailed statement.

"World of Hyatt is an expression of who we are," said Mark Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer at the Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

"It's a platform powered by our purpose – caring for people so they can be their best – and it inspires how we engage with guests, interact with colleagues and owners, and operate our business. Importantly, it's designed to deepen our relationship with our community beyond traditional hotel stays."

Asked whether the campaign is a comment on President Donald Trump's travel ban or on making the U.S. more inclusive, spokesperson Russin Royal told CNBC via email: "No, it's not. Hyatt is a global company, and these moments are things we can all relate to.

"We think that everyone can find themselves in the anthem spot – finding yourself in an unfamiliar or even uncomfortable place, and it's one simple act of reaching out and human connection that can make a difference."

The global campaign, by agency MullenLowe, will run on TV, digital, social, out-of-home, in print, through events and at Hyatt hotels, with a focus on the U.S., China and India.

Last week, Hyatt announced a 2016 profit of $204 million, and revenues of $4.43 billion.

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