Mercure unveils the trip made by the winner of “The Six Friends Theory” international casting

In January this year, Mercure introduced a world wide digital campaign, “The Six Friends Theory”, based on the principle that each of us is related to everyone else in the world via six steps of separation. The result was an unprecedented human experience in combining the power of social media and candid face-to-face encounters.

Motivated by the incredible adventure offered by Mercure, nearly 400 candidates from all over the world applied, supported by close to 50 000 votes. The “6 Friends” community took the social networks by storm with close to 130,000 new fans on Mercure’s page and more than 10 million Internet users who viewed the campaign on Facebook. The film teaser also created a buzz on YouTube and Facebook with 5.4 million views.

Ludovica Loda, a 21-year old Italian became the lucky winner of a round-the-world trip via the Mercure hotel network, with the last port of call being Australia for a meeting with an Aboriginal from the Bundjalung tribe in Byron Bay.

Every stage of the trip took her to one of the five friends that linked her to the Aboriginal and Australia, thus proving to the whole world that they were only six degrees of separation away from each other.

Images of Ludovica’s incredible human adventure took stock of this operation which inspired millions of Internet users.

Mercure unveils the “The Six Friends Theory” human adventure web series

Ludovica is now back from her 46-day trip around the world via the Mercure hotel network and has just shared her incredible adventure with the “Six Friends” community, describing her encounters, discoveries, trips and unique experiences.

The itinerary took her to the home countries of the five friends linking her to Nigel, an Aboriginal from the Bundjalung tribe in Australia.

Ludovica has traveled 31,599 kms in 46 days. She first started her journey in Rome then stayed at Mercure hotels in Paris, Berlin, London, Rio, Nelspruit in South Africa and Bali, completing her incredible voyage in Byron Bay, Australia!

Her adventures were packed with excitement and human discoveries which included an initiation to graffiti in Paris, wild nights in Berlin, samba lessons in Rio, bivouac classes in South Africa and much more.

The Mercure hotel teams made every effort to ensure that she enjoyed a warm and enriching adventure. Throughout her entire trip, Ludovica was accompanied by communication agency W&Cie and the Windsor production team. Filmmaker, Jean-François Julian, filmed her adventures and encounters.

Starting May 13th, Mercure will unveil the web series of Ludovica’s trip at https://www.facebook.com/MercureHotels.

An unprecedented worldwide operation that reflects Mercure’s new repositioning

The “The Six Friends Theory” worldwide operation, which was designed by communication agency W&Cie, fully reflects Mercure’s renewal. In 2013, the brand opened a new page in its history and kicked off a transformation strategy offering a new approach to midscale hotels.

Mercure aims to highlight the local features of each destination and thus offer travelers authentic shared experiences and encounters. By launching this digital operation, with a round-the-world trip based on human encounters, visits to incredible places, powerful experiences, surprises and much more, the Mercure brand also demonstrates that it is connected and innovative and therefore absolutely in tune with its times. In addition, this operation highlights Mercure’s internationalisation as the brand pursues its expansion and renovation program across the globe and continues to reinforce its network of 711 hotels in 52 countries.

The “Six Friends Theory” campaign’s key figures

• + 175,000 fans on the Mercure page
• 400 participants in the competition
• 5.8 million views of the Youtube film teaser
• 12 million Internet users touched by the Facebook campaign
• A 46-day trip
• 31,599 km covered

Link to the Mercure Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MercureHotels

About Mercure

Mercure is the midscale non-standardized brand of Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator with 3,700 hotels and 180,000 employees in 92 countries. Mercure hotels share common quality standards and are driven by passionate hoteliers. Whether they are located in major city centers, by the seaside or in mountain resorts, each establishment offers an authentic experience for both business and leisure travelers. The Mercure network spans 711 hotels in 52 countries around the globe, represents a real alternative to standardized or independent hotels, and combines the power of an international network with professional and digital expertise. 

For more information, visit www.mercure.com