Conrad Hilton would have told you that a life well lived is one that includes a well-worn passport. For the marketing arm of the hotel empire that Hilton began in 1919, that philosophy is now manifest as a two-way conversation — brand and traveler in dialogue online.

"What's so exciting about marketing, for us, now, is that we haven't moved away from that vision," says Nancy Deck, vice president of portfolio and full service brand marketing for Hilton. "Everything we do is intended to inspire people to travel for all kinds of reasons — whether that's going far away to Istanbul, or Seoul, or if that's going to a Hampton Inn near a lake in Oklahoma."

So, Conrad Hilton's vision is held close, but the fluidity and sophistication of his brand's media campaigns has changed, in some cases dramatically. But that effort, if one looks back at more than a half-century of ads, has often intertwined with technology.

Decades of Innovation: Hilton and the Traveler

Hilton's marketing approach has always included placement of the brand on the cutting edge of travel amenities. In 1957, for example, a Hilton print ad touted an out-of-town call-in reservation service — an unusual step during a time when travelers often simply showed up hoping for a vacancy. With one telephone call, guests could immediately reserve a Hilton room, saving time and money. Image: Hilton Archive, Conrad Hilton College, University of Houston

Similarly, Hilton made a point of advertising its first computerized reservation system. And, in 1970, the brand touted on-site fax machines that travelers could use.

The Hilton upped its game with the first computerized reservation system, The Hiltron. Guests could also use the machine to learn about the city in which they were staying. Image: Hilton Archive, Conrad Hilton College, University of Houston

In 1970, Hilton added the magic of the Titanfax, as 86% of their guests were businessmen, businesswomen and executives. Image: Hilton Archive, Conrad Hilton College, University of Houston.

"Going back to reservations in the '50s, Hilton put a lot of money" into showing guests the cutting edge, says Dr. Mark Young, archivist and historian at Hilton College's Hospitality Industry Archives. "It really put them on a level above most of the other hotel chains out there."

Fast-forward to 2014, however, and you see Hilton inviting its travelers to use new technology in a different way — in an immersive and shared fashion — to join the brand in an active, and often online, dialogue about what Hilton and travel mean.

The Next Invitation: Hilton and the Online Consumer

Last year, the brand forayed into user-generated content and giveaways. During DoubleTree by Hilton's 2013 DTour campaign, travelers were told to pick a spot on a map, and then upload their own videos, images and tips. More than 5 million views later, it's clear that Hilton's audience immersed themselves in the opportunity to talk about travel, accommodations and what to do in-destination.

Aiming for immersion of another kind, the Waldorf Astoria (a Hilton brand) invited guests in late 2013 to slip into its The Stories Begin Here campaign. Presenting multimedia short narratives — a story in text, accompanied by films, interactive sketchbooks and photo sets, all featuring Olga Kurylenko — guests could follow along, and then book themselves into the very settings they were watching.

And while earnest participation and stylish stories tell one part of Hilton's tale in the digital space, there's room for a bit of irreverence as well. Enter Aloha, Godzilla.

"We're proud to announce that Godzilla knocks down one of our towers," Deck says, tongue in cheek, referring to a scene in the 2014 theatrical release of Godzilla. "We're integrated into the movie, but now we use every one of our channels to promote that heavily in the social space." On Facebook and Twitter, travelers can enter to win a trip to Hawaii as part of the film tie-in.

Hilton's Stewards: Brand Identity in the Digital Age

Blending the Hilton concept with an online sweepstakes and an in-theaters monster movie is one way to reach an audience in the digital space, but Deck acknowledges that her marketing teams are also acutely aware of working with 95 years of heritage.

It is not a task they take lightly, even when the campaign includes a city-smashing lizard.

"We just went through a whole re-examination of our Hilton flagship brand, which we love so much," she says. "We got everybody in the company involved — and that's not just marketing, that's people responsible for culture, hotels, brand heads and salespeople, everyone.

"We talked about Conrad's vision, and what this brand is about," Deck continues. "We all keep front-and-center the brand image as promised, and all of our brands are run through that filter, through that process to make sure we stay on message."

And so, working with digital natives in the online places they congregate is also about stewarding Hilton through the change to digital marketing that Deck says has ramped up significantly since 2010.

Next steps for Hilton? One focus, says Deck, is to continue to develop the big-data tools that allow them to measure the brand's impact online, and then grow the conversation even further.

"We've got a lot more data, now," says Deck. "We don't want a one-and-done booking. We're trying to build loyalty; it's not just us pushing a message, it's a rich dialogue with our consumers, engaging with them about things we know they're interested in, rather than trying to guess what they're interested in — which is what the Mad Men era had to do."