benchmark report
airline marketing
digital
#mrpoints
#davethedog
MARRIOTT As part of a wider ‘Travel Brilliantly’ repositioning campaign, Marriott has launched an ‘#MRPoints’ social media initiative to capitalise on today’s travellers desire to share their journey with followers on social media. Participants in the campaign are rewarded ‘socially’ with points for Marriott’s reward program. Marriott Rewards members receive 25 points when they link their Twitter or Instagram profile (50 points for linking both) to their membership accounts. Participants can then earn 25 points for shares that include a promotion-specific hashtag (like #StayDC and #StayBaltimore ), plus the #MRPoints hashtag. Very active sharers can earn up to 125 points per day. Rewarding social advocacy is a smart tactic, if the right messages are awarded to align with the brand’s objectives. OCT 2015 ISSUE
WESTJET Estonian Air became the first airline in the world to launch a ‘social loyalty’ program called AirScore in 2011, while Air Canada and JetBlue have lauched similar initiatives. Estonian rewarded its AirScore program members for advocating the brand on Facebook, and getting a Facebook friend to join the AirScore program. At the time, Estonian Air’s CEO Tero Taskilia described the benefits to the airline of the initiative: “Using traditional channels to promote the airline and the country abroad requires a big budget and human resources,” he said. “Social Media is one of the most effective ways to market and promote brands across the borders.”
WestJet has taken inspiration from mockumentary comedy like Ricky Gervais in ‘The Office’ and ‘An Idiot Abroad,’ to create its latest 90-second spot promoting the airline’s new low-fares flights between Toronto and London.
misprint? I’m eating kibble!”
The premise is of a long-distance romance between Dave, in England, and his girlfriend Katie, in Canada. To save money on flights to visit his sweethear t, Dave disguises himself to travel as a dog.
The launch of this ad follows the airline’s introduction of new 767-300 service , with new cabins and a new logo, all in preparation WestJet;s first long-haul service.
For most of the video Dave boasts to the camera of the genius of his scheme, but, as the video ends, the camera zooms-in on an ad in the newspaper thrown into Dave’s cage, with a printed ad of WestJet’s new GBP194 one-way fares from Gatwick to Toronto.
Surprisingly, the video has just over 78,000 views on YouTube so far. In comparison, WestJet’s viral Christmas Miracle has generated over 41 million views. This could be a simple matter of timing, or a sign that hear t-strings can trump funny bones, when it comes to on-line viewership.
Richard Bar trem, VP marketing communications at West Jet, said the ad reflects WestJet’s “fun and friendly attitude”.
In a last line as hear t-wrenching as it is side-splitting, Dave the Dog says: “Is that a
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EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL DIGITAL TV, PRINT, OOH
