A 2007 Millward Brown study reported that HI Express had no emotional connection with the Gen X male business traveler demographic. This was an opportunity for HI Express to pull away from the pack. The branded entertainment web show, The Smart Show, emerged.The Smart Show was a multi-dimensional engagement platform. A show, a social community, a promotions venue, a blog, that focused on a wide range of subject-matter relevant to the target audience, including travel tips, technology, and business know how. The media plan centered on syndication with partners Blip.TV, BroadbandEnterprises, and Podaddies, and a distribution partnership with TripAdvisor.com.

The aggressive media distribution strategy proved hugely successful at driving scale across a broad network, resulting in just over 15MM video views. This, coupled with the results of a consumer study, showed that The Smart Show drove significant viewership as well as a 26% increase in stay intent and emotional connection among repeat visitors.