benchmark report
airline marketing
NOV 2015 ISSUE
A monthly selection of the most innovative marketing campaigns launched by airlines around the world SimpliFlying | airlinetrends.com Nov 2OI5 Issue 38
benchmark report
airline marketing
welcome. Published by market research agency airlinetrends.com and aviation marketing strategy consulting firm SimpliFlying, the Airline Marketing Benchmark Repor t contains a wide range of airline marketing case studies each month, providing you with the latest and most innovative social, digital, experiential and traditional airline marketing campaigns recently launched by airlines around the world. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or are eager to help your airline move into the nex t stage of engagement, while also understanding how your airline marketing initiatives compare to campaigns from competitors in general, these repor ts are indispensable for airline professionals working in the f ield of marketing and corporate communications. The monthly repor ts also help agencies that work with airlines stay on top of the latest innovative airline marketing initiatives.
NOV 2015 ISSUE
EXPERIENTIAL
Faced with ever more experienced consumers, who routinely ignore the commercials and ads thrown at them, airline brands are finding new ways to break through the adver tising clutter to connect with consumers. For any questions about the repor t, please contact Shubhodeep Pal at shubhodeep@simplif lying.com. As innovative campaigns come in all shapes and sizes, the Airline Marketing Benchmark Repor t is categorized into the following four themes:
SOCIAL
Besides engaging their online audience via Facebook and Twitter-based campaigns, the airline industry is also busy experimenting with new social media platforms.
DIGITAL
With the huge popularity of smar tphones and tablets, airlines are tapping into these digital platforms to engage consumers, as well as releasing videos online which they hope will go viral.
TV, PRINT, OOH
Despite the current focus on social, digital and experiential campaigns, airlines continue to serve up creative, traditional media-based, initiatives in order to reach a mass audience.
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airline marketing
experiential
#NYCTakeOff
bedtime stories
JETBLUE JetBlue has made a name for itself by surprising New York City’s commuters with fun out-of-home stunts, including a talking ‘vir tual assistant’ shopping window and a Coke vending machine that rewarded those generous enough to share with free flights—all with the aim of promoting itself as “New York’s Hometown Airline.” With its most recent #NYCTakeoff stunt, the airline encouraged denizens of the Big Apple to “rip them off” by stealing giant peel-off poster vouchers from bus shelters across New York’s five boroughs. With the help of its agency Mullen Lowe, JetBlue placed 185 gift vouchers hiding in plain sight. The vouchers were giant peeloff posters that people had to first tear off their displays to redeem gifts like roundtrip flight vouchers, NY Jets and Brooklyn Nets tickets, a scoop of Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream, and other treats. NOV 2015 ISSUE
LUFTHANSA JetBlue had a little fun at the expense of par ticipants who, by peeling-off the ads, revealed other permanent ads under glass with snarky lines like: “Snooze You Lose,” “Takers Gonna Take,” and “Repor t This Ad Stolen.”
Storytelling rituals build strong bonds between parents and their kids and is an important part of childhood education, but working parents who travel sometimes miss out. What if parents could tell bedtime stories, even when they have to catch a plane?
Some bold enough to try were surprised by a member of JetBlue’s crew who helped them cash-in voucher (video) . Others could go to a dedicated site to redeem their gifts with a voucher number.
That’s the premise behind Lufthansa’s latest marketing campaign: Bedtime Stories (video ). The airline installed a mobile recording studio—in the shape of a moon—at a departure gate at Frankfurt Airport. There, parents can record a bedtime story, create an audio book, then send it to their kids at home via email or text message. Children can listen to the recorded story or download it from a dedicated microsite by clicking on the link sent by their parents.
This naughty stunt was so well-received that JetBlue did it twice: first on September 21, and again on October 10.
“Travelling is always an emotional experience: Farewell and greeting, a change of place and culture, wanderlust and homesickness,” says Alexander Schlaubitz, Head of Marketing
at Lufthansa. “We want to make every passenger feel as though they are in good hands.” For parents rushing to catch a flight, Lufthansa offers a selection of pre-recorded audiobooks, narrated by well-known German voice actors. Moms and dads can add a personal good-night-wish and a photo of themselves. Lufthansa has worked with several publishing companies to offer parents their choice of popular children’s books. The airline will install a second Bedtime Stories ‘studio’ at Munich Airport. Parents can visit both studios from mid October through the end of the year. Lufthansa will promote the service through traditional advertisements, social media (hashtag #LufthansaStories) and in Lufthansa’s magazines.
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ultimate las vegas upgrade
college partnerships
WESTJET WestJet’s “Ultimate Vegas Upgrade” is a perfect example of how airlines can collaborate with tourism authorities to create campaigns that grab major news headlines and create lasting memories for customers. Video is a major component of WestJet’s marketing strategy. What star ted as few clever stunts to surprise travellers around the holiday season has evolved into regular installations. The airline now creates a funny, exciting, or hear t-touching video roughly once per quar ter, and many brand fans have come to expect them. For its latest video , which saw 1.76 million YouTube clicks in just 3 weeks, WestJet linked up with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to plan a series of surprises for one lucky airplane full of people. After using a roulette wheel (how
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DELTA fitting!) to select flight 1116 from Toronto to Vegas, WestJet got to work organizing a host of experience upgrades that would await passengers at landing.
Courting the hard-to-reach millennial age group is on every airline’s agenda. Social media is one method to get at this demographic, but Delta is tackling the challenge in a samrt way.
Comedian and Vegas resident performer Carrot Top greeted flight 1116 passengers in the cabin, offering them two choices: collect their bags and leave, or follow him to an amazing surprise. Guests who chose adventure went on to enjoy hotel room upgrades, spa upgrades, view upgrades (via helicopter ride), VIP club outings and a massive par ty in the WestJet hangar with performers and DJs supplied by many of the city’s top hotels – each of which also benefitted from brand exposure in the popular video.
Delta recently partnered with nine highprofile colleges in the Eastern U.S. (including Penn State, Duke and the University of Michigan) to offer selected seniors an eight week internship at Delta’s headquarters in Atlanta. During that time, the students and the airline hatched a plan to integrate the Delta brand into college life in a way that would be meaningful and memorable to students. Michigan University was the pilot campus for the resulting activation, where Delta employees mobilized en masse to help students move in for the semester with luggage carts, refreshments and care packages that included the airline’s amenity kits. The airline also plans
to bring it’s Celebration Grill school.
event to the
In an airline release , Jeff Robertson, Delta Vice President Product Development, Sky Clubs and Marketing Communications calls students a savvy consumer group. “We will give students and alums the opportunity to really get to know our airline ... we believe this will position Delta as their trusted partner over a lifetime of travel,” he said. Marketing publications such as eventmarketer.com and advirtues.com wrote about Delta’s innovative effort to build positive relationships with tomorrow’s business flyers.
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social
flightfunding
tinder contest
KLM In a first of its kind initiative, KLM has conver ted its strong social media presence to help those in need travel with a unique ‘Flightfunding’ initiative. “KLM receives requests weekly from people who would like to travel but can’t afford the ticket. Each one of these requests comes with a hear t wrenching story,” explains Karlijn Vogel-Meijer, Manager Social Media KLM. Inspired by the principles of crowdfunding, KLM decided to promote wor thy causes on its social media channels to help persons in emergency or weak financial situations cover the price of a ticket. The first person KLM featured in the Flightfunding initiative was Juanita who because of personal hardships - hadn’t seen her family in Canada since 2009 and had been unable to hold her grandson, who has already turned 5 years old. NOV 2015 ISSUE
WOW AIR Juanita’s loved ones approached KLM for help, and the airline agreed to let them share Juanita’s dream—to celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada with her family— with its millions of Social Media friends. The airline set a challenge before its Social Media community to make Juanita’s dream come true by raising the money to fund her ticket to Canada within 24 hours.
In a campaign that business and economics blog Slate.com called “unabashedly tacky”, Icelandic low cost carrier WOW Air is using Tinder (a somewhat controversial dating app that matches local singles based mainly on looks) to match itself with potential customers and promote new routes connecting Nor th America to Iceland and beyond to Europe.
With 220 donations, KLM’s fanbase raised the necessary 1200 euros in only 7 hours and 14 minutes. On the airline’s Flightfunding microsite , people could also send messages of encouragement and suppor t to Juanita. KLM documented Juanita’s Flightfunding initiative on the site including videos of her story.
The tagline for this promotion is “Flir t Your Way To Iceland.” To take par t, people simply need to download the Tinder app (if they aren’t already using it) and swipe right to match with WOW Air. The airline will then match the contestant back, which enables the two to chat. It is then the contestant’s duty to send the best flir ty pick-up line they’ve got to the airline and hope their advance is rewarded. WOW Air made use of Twitter and to spread the word about Facebook this contest, and has employed another
‘happening’ social platform, Snapchat, to share pictures of some comical lines they’ve been sent. This type of edgy marketing gimmick is not for every airline, but works well for the quirky and colourful WOW Air. It also proves that a single set of airline tickets (unsold seats, most likely) and a clever idea is all you need to create a big buzz on social media. The WOW Air Tinder campaign was covered by Conde Nast Traveller and landed WOW Air on a list of small airlines “rocking” social media.
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you make the difference
facebook reactions
STAR ALLIANCE
LAN Facebook has moved beyond the thumb and put a ‘face’ to user’s feelings by adding new emoticons which let friends share their reactions to posts. Presented as a complement, even an alternative, to written comments, the social network now features emoticons which represent viewers feelings about posts, ranging from smiles to frowns, joy to anger, and keeps a running count. What are we to make of this new, more expressive, Facebook Reactions platform? One possible downside is that negative reactions, previously have lost in a comment thread, are now prominently tallied making them more visible to those seeing the post for the f irst time. Brands which may have blocked comments to avoid negative feedback, can’t block Facebook Reactions. But even the negative Facebook Reactions emoticons can be turned to a positive. Brands can more NOV 2015 ISSUE
immediately gauge reaction to posts, and ref ine their future posts. This new feature can also be a helpful tool for crisis management, helping airlines measure consumer empathy and the effectiveness of its brand recovery communications. Quick to embrace the new feature, LAN Airlines found a clever way to turn the frown upside down by using the various emoticons as voting buttons for a new promotion on its Spanish page. LAN asked visitors how they would feel about travelling to South America for three months giving them suggested answers, each associated with one of the new Facebook Reactions emoticons. The airline gave the two negative emoticons positive meanings. The red, angry face was used to reply: “I can’t wait to star t.” The sad crying stood for: “it’s so sad that this will end.”
With a growing middle class and bustling economy, China is the land of oppor tunity for many airlines and the business travellers who fly them to access the region. The marketing landscape within China, however, can be difficult to navigate. Many brands struggle to produce communications relevant to the Chinese consumer, who trusts social media more than traditional media. According to marketingtochina.com , social media “has become a real key target in marketing, with the highest penetration rate (45 percent) in the world.” As popular western social platforms like Facebook and Twitter are blocked in China, social networks Weibo and WeChat are king. Recognizing the link between Chinese social media consumption and brand relations, Star
Alliance is running an outreach campaign called “You Make the Difference.” This project employs WeChat to target and build relationships with Chinese frequent flyers who travel international. Friends, family and co-workers of a business traveller can send them a message of thanks (for hard work or a job well done) using WeChat. The recipient of the message then selects a Star Alliance airline loyalty program they’d like to have Gold Status in, and they are entered to win one of ten Gold Status give-aways. The sender of the “thank you” message also has a chance at winning Star Alliance round-the-world tickets. Star Alliance has created a Chinese language YouTube video to educate people about this promotion.
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digital
#celebrateSG50
delft blue tiles safety video
SINGAPORE AIRLINES As Singapore’s flagship carrier, it’s only natural that Singapore Airlines has spent much of this year creating special events, promotions, product launches and marketing campaigns focused around the country’s SG50 (50th years of independence) celebrations. was executed in One such campaign collaboration with social media engagement firm Your Social . It invited European residents to share on social media why Singapore is a place they want to visit in 2015, using the hashtag #celebrateSG50. Respondents with the most inspiring posts and a number of social media influencers were then invited by the airline (in each case a surprise was organized with “golden tickets” presented by flight attendants) to fly to Singapore, stay at the Grand Park Orchard hotel, and enjoy a full itinerary of exciting cultural activities.
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KLM A camera crew travelled along with the contest winners, capturing how they felt about the experience and creating a short documentary of their many adventures. #celebrateSG50 was one of many SIA initiatives designed to attract passengers and bolster tourism to Singapore. A special SG50 livery painted on two A380s, for example, prompted plane-spotters to post plenty of photos and videos online, and there was an art contest called “Celebrating SG50 with SIA: Growing the Nation” for people of all ages. Singapore Airlines also used SG50 as a platform for the widely-publicized introduction of a new Premium Economy class, as well as a series of collectible SG50 amenity kits.
KLM has set a new standard for the inflight safety video, calling attention to the impor tance it places on the details of flight safety while highlighting its Dutch heritage, as reflected in Delft Blue craftsmanship. With a series of over 1000 tiles, handpainted by Delft Blue ar tisans—each representing a single frame in the film— and a stop-motion video animation technique, KLM brings its safety instructions to life. “We cherish the craftsmanship of this Dutch ar t because every detail is painted with care. At KLM we conduct our safety process with the very same eye for detail,” explains KLM. The airline documented the making of the safety video on YouTube and a dedicated microsite . The ‘making-of’ video has been popular, accruing nearly 280 thousand views since its debut on October 16—that’s three and a half times the number of views
of the safety video (nearly 80,000) at the time of this repor t. Delft Blue is rooted in Dutch national heritage. Delftware has a rich and long history dating back to the early 1600s when the Dutch East India Company (VOC) ships brought back large quantities of porcelain from China which became popular among affluent families and European Royals. When conflicts cut-off fur ther impor ts, a craft industry developed in Delft to meet demand. KLM has long featured Delft Blue as par t of its brand, giving every World Business Class passenger a collectible miniature Delftware Dutch house as par t of intercontinental service since the 1950s. It has recently introduced a ‘Tasty Blue’ in-flight meal service, featuring Delft Blue details or Delftware elements in food service products.
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tv, print, ooh
jennifer anniston
google cardboard
EMIRATES
THOMAS COOK, AIR NZ As developments in virtual reality (VR) technology come hard and fast, experiential industries like travel and tourism are finding fun and effective ways to use it for marketing. Google Cardboard is just such a development: an inexpensive virtual viewer that lets people get a VR experience by simply downloading an app and folding some cardboard around their smartphone. This technology presents a great opportunity for airlines show off attractive features and services or promote destinations in a controlled and branded environment. In a campaign targeting travel agencies in the UK, Air New Zealand has created the Air NZ Cabin Viewer app and is giving away 1000 build-it-yourself Google Cardboard units to travel resellers who apply online. With Google Cardboard, the agencies can invite potential passengers to experience Air NOV 2015 ISSUE
New Zealand cabin interiors on its 777-300ER aircraft flying between London, Los Angeles and Auckland. Similarly, five Thomas Cook Retail shops across the UK are using Google Cardboard to give holiday makers a “try before you buy” experience. Travel brochures available at the stores promote the Thomas Cook Holiday 360 app , which lets customers view exciting content about six Thomas Cook hotels and resorts, all in 360 degree high resolution. People who pick up a brochure for Egypt’s Red Sea will also get a free Google Cardboard viewer for the full VR experience.
Emirates has gone straight for the jugular, poking fun at Nor th American airlines with a new TV advert starring America’s sweethear t, Hollywood actress Jennifer Anniston. The adver t begins with Anniston wrapped in a bath robe and wandering around an airplane in search of the shower and the bar. She encounters some not-so-friendly flight attendants (with American accents) who inform her that there aren’t any onboard. Anniston is confused because Emirates planes have these amenities. The flight crew then proceeds to laugh at her mockingly. Just then, the actress is star tled awake, relieved to find herself in an Emirates first class suite. In the next scene she is standing at the Emirates A380 first class bar, telling the bar tender all about her awful nightmare.
Though it is a bold move and one sure to infuriate the US’s big three carriers (American, Delta and United), the adver t’s 4.5 million YouTube views are undeniable proof that, sometimes, this tactic can yield results… or at least get people talking. The controversial adver t has received tons of international press. Everyone from Hello Magazine in the UK to Fox News in the US and brandchannel.com offering their two cents. Emirates currently has its own starring role in a bitter dispute between the “big three” gulf airlines (Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad) and America’s three majors (American, United and Delta), which makes the timing and the message of this spot all the more newswor thy.
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reach further
#transfarency
VIETNAM AIRLINES The BRIC and Next-11 nations are home are home of the next generation of airlines who will make their mark on the global stage. Turkish Airlines has already succesfull established itself as a globally recognized brand name, while the likes of LATAM, China Eastern, Garuda and Vietnam Airlines are gearing up. When building a respected brand in the often noisy and overcrowded travel sector, par tnerships and patience are key. This approach applies to Vietnam Airlines, who has par tnered with global ad agency J. Walter Thompson (JWT) to shape the airline’s global image and messaging through a phased approach. One pillar of the brand building strategy is a campaign called ‘Reach Fur ther’. Last year, JWT and Vietnam Airlines produced a commercial which focused on the carrier’s network by depicting people from NOV 2015 ISSUE
SOUTHWEST iconic international cities being transpor ted to Vietnam at the touch of a pink lotus flower – a symbol of both the nation and the carrier. This year, a new commercial continues with the Reach Fur ther concept, featuring a state-of-the ar t fleet (Vietnam Airlines was the second airline to receive the A350) and telling the story of an English coffee shop chain owner who travels long-haul to Vietnam (a major expor ter of coffee) to procure beans in a rural location – effectively “reaching fur ther” for his business. The Reach Fur ther campaign also includes a series of print adver ts. Last year the pink lotus theme was prevalent, and now the ads introduce Vietnam Airline employees who reach further for guests.
A year after introducing a new livery, aircraft interior and brand identity, Southwest Airlines launched a new ‘Transfarency’ ad campaign which calls attention to its low-fare credo and corporate philosophy. “A marriage of “Transparency” and “Fare” — it means we treat Customers honestly and fairly, and low fares actually stay low — no unexpected bag fees, change fees, or hidden fees,” Southwest explains “In one word you get the idea; you get the playfulness from it,” said Marianne Malina, president of GSD&M, the Austin-based agency which developed the campaign for the airline.” It has smar t humour that Southwest can own, and it elevates the idea beyond just inclusive pricing. It’s about transparency and being honest.”
sponsors—game during the baseball playoffs, additional spots followed on NFL Sunday Football programming. Other campaign elements include print , and a microsite with videos and quizzes, including a “Fee or Fake” quiz that gives “tips” to help travellers avoid other carriers’ fees. Southwest also added a transparent sheet to the October issue of its in-flight magazine, with a ‘dictionary’ definition of ‘Transfarency’ with a tag line on the page behind it, showing through: “Low fares. Nothing to hide.”
The first 30-second TV spot aired during a Texas Rangers—who Southwest
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banner upcycling UNITED United has joined Air France , Emirates, Southwest and others in the industry in the upcycling movement, giving otherwise discarded materials a useful second life.
the Chicago Depar tment of Aviation, and United. Each showcased the airline’s Fly the Friendly Skies imagery and elements of the United brand on the exterior.
When the Chicago Depar tment of Aviation changed the size of banner adver tisements allowed at Chicago O’Hare, more than 20 United fabric banners were unusable. Rather than see these ads fill trash heaps, the airline’s Eco-Skies team chose to par tner with students at Columbia College Chicago’s Fashion School and Re::New—a nonprofit Chicago-area manufacturer that employed refugee women living in the United States—and challenged them to design and fabricate a travel bag using only upcycled materials from the banner ads (video) .
United sold the bags through its United Shop, with proceeds benefiting Re::New and United’s Eco-Skies CarbonChoice project in the Alto Mayo region of Peru.
The winning designs were chosen by a committee of representatives from Re::new,
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“United is committed to operating sustainably and responsibly, and that means finding creative ways to fur ther reduce our impact on the environment,” said the airline’s Managing Director of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability Angela Foster-Rice. “As par t of our EcoSkies commitment, we are excited to give these banners a second life, and know our customers will enjoy taking home a piece of the friendly skies.”
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about us.
Pricing SimpliFlying is a global consultancy that believes in thinking differently about aviation marketing. Having worked with over 50 airlines and airports around the world, it has presences in Singapore, UK, Spain, Canada and India. Today, SimpliFlying advises airlines and airports on customer engagement strategy, achieving aviation business goals by harnessing the latest innovations in the social media space. The firm also conducts MasterClasses to train and develop airline and airport teams to become self-sufficient in executing measurable and rewarding social campaigns.
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SimpliFlying’s growing list of clients includes Lufthansa, Emirates, Toronto Pearson Airpor t, Halifax International, KLIA, Jet Airways, LAN Airlines, airBaltic, Airbus and Bombardier. Get in touch at engage@simpliflying. com or visit www.simpliflying.com.
Airlinetrends.com is an independent industry and consumer trends research agency that monitors the global aviation industry for commercial innovations in response to changing consumer behavior. Airlinetrends.com repor ts its f indings in a free monthly email newsletter as well as in paid trend repor ts and corporate trend sessions. Get in touch at info@airlinetrends.com or visit www.airlinetrends.com.
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