benchmark report
airline marketing
social
befriend the world
#bestrequest
OMAN AIR At its core, aviation is about bringing people together across great distances. Oman Air gets that and is trying to set a new Guinness world record for creating the longest human chain of friendship on the internet in honour of the International Day of Friendship. The airline invites par ticipants to post their own pictures of family members, friends and colleagues holding hands on www.befriendtheworld.com which enters them in a prize draw, with the chance to win two return flights to Muscat from any destination within Oman Air’s network. On the dedicated website , the airline explains its motivation for the social media campaign: “In testing times, people need a sign for peace and understanding. With our digital human chain, we want to set an example for international friendship via social SEPT 2015 ISSUE
VIRGIN ATLANTIC media. That’s why we called this website befriendtheworld.com.” Oman Air has also shot a video to promote the campaign, which it shared on Facebook page . On the ‘Befriend the World’ site, Oman posts updates on par ticipation. With 67 days left on its goal at the time of writing, 696 people had held hands across the world in 176 shared images. Mohammed Al Shikely, General Manager Marketing for Oman Air, says of the campaign: “We would be thrilled to set a new Guinness World Record, and with the response we are getting so far, we are optimistic about our success.”
Anyone who has f lown often enough – be for work or for leisure – has tried at least once to get an upgrade. Passengers can get creative when they crave sky-high creature comfor ts, claiming honeymoons to bir thdays and all special days between. Some stories, however, are more believable than others. While Sir Richard Branson is a friendly man, it is doubtful he has as many friends as have tossed his name around to push for better seating. Virgin Atlantic is capitalising on all that creativity by launching a #BestRequest contest on social media. Following a survey of over 1000 ground staff and cabin crew, the airline revealed the funniest requests for upgrades in a blog post on its off icial website . Among the winners, a famous magician who offered to perform tricks for the crew in return for the experience of f lying Upper Class.
With the new Virgin Atlantic contest, customers f inally get a chance to earn that coveted free upgrade, by sharing their premium pitch on social media— Twitter, Instagram or Facebook—using the hashtag #BestRequest . Response has been positive. Passengers have tied pulling hear t strings, tickling funny bones, and resor ting to the reliable stand-by’s of puppies and babies. The airline is employing a humorous approach to the social media contest and simultaneously proving to customers that its employees do listen to their requests and feedback. “#BestRequest taps into a common traveler behavior – asking for an upgrade,” Kelly Pellico, VP at Millward Brown told Mobile Commerce Daily. “Rather than the tired bir thday and honeymoon requests, the brand is challenging its customers to get creative.
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EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL DIGITAL TV, PRINT, OOH
