benchmark report
airline marketing
big metal bird
qantas assure
UNITED United Airlines has created a series of humorous informational short YouTube videos, called Big Metal Bird , which explain the complexities of the airline industry to flyers. The mini-series is hosted by Katie Nolan, of Fox Sports 1, and improv performer Rob Anderson, with ‘guest appearances’ by United Airlines executives. In the f irst episode , Katie reviews the journey of baggage after it’s dropped of at the check-in counter. The video features United staff who explain various parts of the baggage handling process. Even United’s Director of Baggage Strategy and Performance, Marc Zessin, takes part by allowing himself to be “checked in luggage” to prove his confidence in the system. explains the The second episode process United goes through to plan routes and schedules. Andy Buchanan, Managing Director of International Network Planning JAN 2016 ISSUE
QANTAS FREQUENT FLYER explains the process, and also comes across as friendly and accessible. It is this light-hearted tone to the series which is very effective at humanising the company to the general public. In addition to posting videos to YouTube, United has established a dedicated site which features accompanying posts providing more background information on the topics covered. The segments are designed to be short so that travellers can enjoy them ‘on the go’ with their mobile devices. “This is how our customs like to get their information—easy to consume, easy to understand and easy to share,” Mark Krolick, United’s managing director of Marketing and Product Development said.
Many airline passengers lament the traditional loyalty program format, which has become somewhat antiquated and can take forever to produce any useable benef it. But in a new loyalty tieup with Aussie health insurance provider nib , Qantas is demonstrating that it understands how people want to collect and redeem points in a digital world. Beginning later this year, Qantas Frequent Flyer program members can purchase Qantas Assure , a range of health insurance products powered by nib. Those who sign up can begin earning Qantas Points faster than with f lying alone, because they’ll collect points for achieving f itness goals. Qantas Assure customers will be able to download an app to a number of different wearable and mobile devices. Using the app, customers can choose from
a selection of physical challenges at varying levels of diff iculty. The app will monitor (by counting steps, for example) the customer as he or she progresses through the challenge and reward completion with Qantas Points that can be used on f lights, upgrades, hotels, car hire, at the Qantas store, and more. Though the program isn’t quite ready yet, Qantas has produced a shor t YouTube video to explain details for those considering taking par t. The video has more than 7,000 views, and Australian media such as Sky News and The Australian Business Review have written about the initiative. This isn’t the f irst time and airline has used f itness to inspire loyalty, and viceversa. In 2013, AirBaltic launched an app called Burn the Miles , which rewarded frequent f liers for burning calories.
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EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL DIGITAL TV, PRINT, OOH
