Mercure launched “The Six Friends Theory”, a worldwide digital operation, to check the well-known six-degrees-of-separation theory, which claims that we are all only six people away from everyone else on the planet.
After an international call for applications, which was hugely successful across the social networks, a 21 year-old Italian, Ludovica Loda, became the lucky winner of a round-the-world trip via the Mercure hotel network which would result in meeting an Aboriginal from the Bundjalung tribe in Australia. Every stage of the trip took her to one of the five friends that linked her to the Aboriginal, thus proving to the whole world that they were only six degrees of separation away from each other!
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
Proving six degrees of separation
The first stage of the “The Six Friends Theory” operation was to select a candidate from somewhere around the world and take him or her to meet an Aboriginal from the Bundjalung tribe in Australia, thus proving that they were only six degrees of separation away from each other. After internet users had voted on Mercure’s Facebook page, on 25th February 2015 a jury selected the winner, Ludovica Loda, a 21-year old young Italian with a passion for travel and adventures.
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 46-day trip
The itinerary took her to the home countries of the five friends linking her to Nigel, an Aboriginal from the Bundjalung tribe in Australia.
She started her journey in Rome. Then she enjoyed stays in the Mercure hotels in Paris, Berlin, London, Rio, Nelspruit in South Africa and Bali… finishing her incredible voyage in Byron Bay, Australia!
Ludovica had no idea where she was going. At every stage of her itinerary she was welcomed and guided by the Mercure hotelier and met a new friend of a friend who revealed her next destination. The Mercure hotel teams made every effort to ensure that she enjoyed a warm and humanly 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 on her Facebook page.
The “Six Friends” community will be able to follow a new episode of Ludovica’s adventures every two days!
Watch the The Six Friends Theory web series trailer now
Mercure’s new positioning
The “The Six Friends Theory” worldwide operation 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.
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