Sandals Resorts Selects Leo Burnett as Creative Agency of Record

Sandals Resorts announces the selection of the award-winning Leo Burnett as the agency of record supporting the Sandals and Beaches brands. The Chicago-based firm has been entrusted with the creative effort to enhance the respective brands under the resort companies’ umbrella. Announced today and beginning immediately, this engagement will encompass creative ideation and execution across all mediums and platforms for the brands dynamic portfolio of Caribbean resorts, including the adults-only Sandals Resorts and family-friendly Beaches Resorts – honing in on shared family values and entrepreneurial synergies.

Leo Burnett’s selection is designed to bring a new era of bold, quintessentially Caribbean brand expression for the region’s leading and most award-winning all-inclusive resorts. This announcement follows a competitive review process that began in Q1 and included several of the industry’s most highly regarded global creative agencies.

“The founder of the Sandals Resorts brand and my father, the Hon. Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, was a marketing virtuoso – a visionary – who forged a legacy that spans over four decades of Caribbean authenticity and treasured family values. He meticulously built what has now become one of the most well-recognised and beloved brands in travel with his brilliance and resolute passion. Entrusting the brands and their heritage is deeply personal to me,” said Adam Stewart, executive chairman of the Sandals Resorts companies. “The Sandals brands and Leo Burnett represent very similar narratives: both family-led, founder-driven brands fuelled by innovation. This next chapter is brimming with excitement and opportunity as we bring forward the best of the Caribbean together.

Unique Vacations Inc. (UVI) will manage Leo Burnett’s support of the brands under the direction of its chief marketing officer, Tony Cortizas, “This journey fostered new connections, hours of brand immersion and reflection, and a wealth of ingenious ideas that align with the remarkable evolution of the Sandals and Beaches brands as leaders in the all-inclusive space. Leo Burnett understood the brands’ roots as much as our inspired and passionate strategy forward, effortlessly clicking with the essence of Sandals and Beaches with their human approach to creative expression. We are thrilled to collaborate and showcase the incredible experiences that have earned the brands one of the industry’s most loyal customer bases. With Leo Burnett, this cherished legacy is in great hands.”

“As companies with similar values, the chemistry between Leo Burnett and Sandals Resorts was immediate. But the more you get to know the Sandals and Beaches brands, the more you fall in love with them,” said Britt Nolan, president and chief creative officer of Leo Burnett. “There’s so much more to their story than people know. It’s a huge honour to steward such beloved brands and we’re super excited to help write their next chapter and show the world more.”