Bollywood star Deepika Padukone has smashed an Instagram record with her latest paid partnership reel for Hilton’s global campaign, ‘It Matters Where You Stay’, in which she features as the brand’s ambassador. The video has garnered over 1.9 billion views on Instagram, surpassing previous record holders, including Hardik Pandya’s BGMI collaboration (1.6 billion views) and Cristiano Ronaldo’s smartphone promotional reel (1.4 billion views).
With more than 80 million Instagram followers, Padukone’s digital influence remains among the strongest in India. The reel’s unprecedented reach has sparked massive online chatter, extensive organic media coverage, and dominated social feeds over the past week.
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Hilton appointed Padukone as its global brand ambassador in 2024, aiming to strengthen its presence in the Indian market and forge a deeper emotional bond with the next generation of Indian travellers, both domestic and international.
From views to business impact
Speaking to IMPACT, Gretchen Moore, Vice President, Marketing and Loyalty, Asia Pacific, Hilton, revealed that the campaign has generated over five billion views across all platforms. More importantly, it has translated into tangible business results.
“We’re seeing strong commercial momentum from rising traffic on our website to growing enrolments in the Hilton Honors loyalty programme,” Moore said. “What’s most encouraging is that the campaign didn’t just build awareness; it inspired more people to actively explore and engage with us. By anchoring our content in culture and authentic partnerships, we unlocked connections, meaning, and momentum for our brands in India and beyond.”
Inside Hilton’s marketing playbook
Moore explained that Hilton designs its marketing activations with the entire customer journey in mind, from the first spark of awareness to booking, stay, and beyond. The company uses an omni-channel approach spanning advertising, influencer content, in-hotel experiences, and owned channels.
For this campaign, the team was prepared to adjust tactics based on consumer response. “Audiences have connected with the message’s authenticity, the tone, and the creative style that reflects both Deepika and Hilton,” Moore noted. The reel’s shareability has helped the story spread well beyond its initial audience.
Owned channels have been a critical part of the strategy. “Consumers increasingly want to engage with us directly, something reflected in our WhatsApp channel, which delivers open rates four times higher than the Indian average. And with more content and activations on the way, the momentum is only growing,” Moore added.
Beyond virality
Moore stressed that the campaign was never intended as a one-off viral moment. Instead, it was built as a multi-channel, fully integrated initiative to bring “Stay” to life in ways authentic to each of Hilton’s 24 brands. Fresh assets will continue to roll out across social, digital, and print in the coming months.
As Hilton expands across India from metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad to high-growth cities like Lucknow, Jabalpur, Kochi, and Surat, the campaign will be brought to life through immersive, hyper-localised guest experiences designed to strengthen the brand’s local relevance.
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