“Roadblock”, an in-the-moment spot created for Super 8 by its Richmond, Va. agency marketing partner, Watson, highlights the fun and spontaneity of the road trip while making a compelling emotional connection between the traveler and Super 8 Motels. Highway footage for the commercial was actually shot on a three-day road trip that covered a broad swath of countryside from urban Richmond through the Virginia countryside to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

“We believe this commercial represents a fresh approach to economy motel advertising by focusing on the journey itself and the positive association between the traveler and Super 8,” said Watson partner Kristi Ashley. “The spot projects a level of camaraderie between Super 8 and the traveler; and pays off the brand’s tagline, ‘See You Along the Way.’”

Associating the high spots of the trip with Super 8 Motels is achieved through the use of a voiceover which begins, ”Somewhere between two highways...” interspersed with quick cutaways and tightly focused shots that document the travelers’ road trip adventures: two 30-something buddies groove to “a really good station;” “Somewhere between breakfast and lunch, there was a roadblock...”, a couple turns a corner to find a cow blocking the middle of the road; a 50-ish couple “somewhere between the kids and the grandkids” makes a motorcycle getaway. Concluding with, “Somewhere between where you are and where you’re going, there’s a Super 8; see you along the way” the spot combines Super 8 imagery with highway footage to leave the viewer with a sense of being there. “It’s like the nice smile you get when you think about the last trip you took,” Ashley says.

Prior to creating the campaign, now in its third year, the agency took a research road trip of its own, driving from its Richmond, Va. headquarters to Calgary, Alberta with a stop at every Super 8 Motel along the way. “We found that, while Super 8 properties are all very different in terms of architecture and experience, they fulfill travelers’ expectations because they are easy to find, clean, safe and reliable,” Ashley says.

The new spot will be televised in rotation with some of the original spots in Super 8’s See you Along the Way campaign on broadcast networks and top-rated cable channels throughout North America. The coverage will reach every county in the United States and all 12 provinces in Canada. In the U.S., the Super 8 campaign will run for 13 weeks, from mid-April until the second week in September. In Canada, the commercials will air for 32 weeks, from early February until early December.

Super 8 Motels Inc., founded in America’s heartland in 1974, is one of the world’s largest economy lodging chains, with 2,083 motels representing 126,237 rooms throughout the United States and Canada.

All Super 8 motels are independently owned and operated under franchise agreements with Super 8 Motels Inc. Reservations can be made through Superline¨ , Super 8’s toll-free rerservation center at (800) 800-8000, or online at www.super8.com. Super 8 Motels Inc. is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NTSE:CD).

Watson, the ultimate partner, provides its clients world-class creative, and inventive, customized marketing communications solutions to deliver bottom-line results. The agency is located at 23 West Broad Street, Richmond, Va. Visit us at www.watsonway.com.