benchmark report
airline marketing
experiential
cross-media
real madrid vip lounge
kids planes
EMIRATES
Airlines globally are investing in so-called ‘brand spaces ’ outside of the airport environment to help boost their exposure to potential consumers and offer additional perks to frequent flyers. These initiatives include pop-up spaces and lounges at conferences and events, but more permanent venues are becoming commonplace as well, such as Emirates aviation experience in London, Delta’s lounge at Chelsea FC Stamford Bridge , as well as other Delta Sky360 lounges at multiple sports stadiums across the US. Emirates has followed suit of its ‘sporty’ Delta counterpart by opening its own VIP Lounge at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The 375sqm lounge, which resembles the cabin of a Boeing 777 (that serves the Dubai-Madrid route) can
NOVEMBER 2013 ISSUE
KLM
host up to 200 guests during match days, who are invited to relax, eat and drink, or watch the action on large plasma screens. The airline has signed a five-year shirt deal with the football club and with the lounge aims to add an experiental touch to the sponsorship. The Real Madrid VIP lounge adds to Emirates portfolio of soccer sponsorships, which includes major soccer teams such as Arsenal, Paris St Germain, AC Milan and HSV in its major markets of the UK, France, Italy and Germany. Meanwhile, Gulf-based Qatar Airways is a sponsor of FC Barcelona, while Etihad supports Manchester City in efforts to reach a mass audience via the world’s most popular game.
Following its par tnership with Schiphol Airpor t to offer a select audience the chance to preview Disney’s latest f ilm ‘Planes’ in a 3D drive-in cinema at Amsterdam’s airpor t, KLM has turned to the imagination of children by offering them a once in a lifetime experience.
The airline posted a heartwarming video of the experience and the reactions of the kids on YouTube, which – within just two weeks – has already gained 2.7 million views, making it one of the most successful campaigns KLM has run on its YouTube channel.
KLM invited 300 children to watch a pre-screening of Planes onboard an MD11 aircraft parked in a hanger, where the kids were offered an immersive experience, with real-life special effects created outside the plane to coincide with the film playing onboard via the IFE screens. A host of lighting, smoke and rain effects helped bring the film to life, reinforcing the airline’s tagline ‘journeys of inspiration’.
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EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL DIGITAL TRADITIONAL
