Air New Zealand 'An Unexpected Journey' | Born from its strategic partnership with Warner Brothers, Air New Zealand last month unveiled its hit Hobbit-themed ' An Unexpected Briefing' safety video, which so far has generated nearly 10 million views on YouTube. As part of the on-going effort between the film, New Zealand and the airline, Air New Zealand introduced several more Hobbit-themed initiatives as part of its ‘The Airline of Middle Earth’ campaign.
Southwest ‘Business Travel Challenge’ | Southwest Airlines recently launched a series of advertising spots titled the ‘ Business Travel Challenge’, which, using campy dialogue and a game show setup, exhibit Southwest’s advantages for business travel. The creative framework was developed by Austin, TX-based agency GSD&M, who constructed large sets of 80 foot-long courses for the game show-themed sets. In the ads, two contestants test what it’s like to travel under business travel scenarios.
The airline turned one of its B777-300ER aircraft into a flying billboard for the movie, covering it with a spectacular Hobbit-themed livery, featuring images of the first film of 'The Hobbit' trilogy. The aircraft arrived in Wellington, New Zealand in time for the film's premiere on November 28 and performed a 300-meter low fly-over above the Hobbit film premiere festivities. In addition, Air New Zealand also set up 'The Hobbit'branded check-in desks and baggage claim belts at Wellington Airport. ANZ’s ‘Hobbit’ aircraft is deployed on the airline’s important Auckland – Los Angeles– London routes – where it attracted a crowd of aviation geeks and Hobbit fans – to promote the film and its association with it. Onboard the aircraft, Air New Zealand's business class passengers are being given Hobbit-themed menus as well as hairy Hobbit socks in their long-haul amenity kits. The airline also featured a 25-page story about its involvement with the Hobbit franchise in the November issue of its 'Kia Ora' inflight magazine.
One spot whimsically highlights Southwest’s lack of change fees, and another shows the airline’s elimination of bag fees. Five commercial spots were released to YouTube through the Nuts About Southwest channel, bringing in 2000 to 7000 views each. In a follow-up to the commercials, Southwest is bringing the ‘Business Travel Challenge’ to customers across four US cities. The challenges will feature similar game sets, inviting customers in Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco to run through the game set ups. If contestants make it through to the end, they have a chance to win Southwest Airlines tickets and discounts. According to the airline, further details on locations, times and the prizes to be won will be announced on Facebook. In creating and translating a well-received television spot into an experience for customers, Southwest is targeting the US domestic business market in a very non-traditional manner, bridging the online and offline worlds.
5 | Airline Marketing Benchmark Report | December 2012
