benchmark report
airline marketing
tv, print, ooh
#thankyoudeer
the home we share
VIRGIN ATLANTIC In December, in cooperation with Microsoft, Virgin Atlantic created the world’s “f irst connected gaming experience at 35,000 feet” between two aircraft, using in-f light WiFi. The premise of the game was to help Santa out to f ind his reindeer, and get him back for Christmas. Passengers on two separate Virgin Atlantic f lights connected online to crack the clues. One of the f lights took off from Shanghai, the other from London. Passengers collaborated with others in the air and on the ground on electronic devices. If they had Lumia devices, customers also received hologram-type messages, which projected some of the clues to help get Santa’s sleigh back on course in time for the holidays. Santa duly appeared on both f lights, handing out presents to passengers. A of the sky-high reindeer games video FEB 2016 ISSUE
ETIHAD ran on both Virgin Atlantic’s and Microsoft UK’s YouTube channels. Making the game feel natural and seamless while in-f light required complex coordination. Virgin Atlantic used Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to keep up with active gamers as par ticipation volume varied through the campaign and the duration of the f lights. In addition to the in-f light game, Virgin Atlantic ran a contest on Social Media in December, giving passengers a chance to win f lights for loved ones to give as a Thank You and Christmas gift. Par ticipants could post a selfie on , Twitter or Instagram with Facebook the hashtag #thankyoudeer and share who they would give the f lights to if they won.
Middle Eastern airlines Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways strongly promote their international networks and their Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha hubs. However Emiratis themselves are both affluent and fond of travel , with 1/7 travelling at least once every few months. Etihad recently targeted its home demographic with a patriotic marketing campaign timed alongside the UAE’s National Day celebrations on December 1. The cornerstone and namesake of the multimedia campaign was an original Arabic song called ‘Hayyakum Fi Darkum’ (Welcome to the Home We Share), with an accompanying music video. The video highlights the best aspects of Emirati life. Powerful images include sweeping skyline panoramas, traditional musical instruments, recreational activities, Arabic calligraphy, children playing, business people travelling in Etihad’s premium
classes, and more. The video features only brief shots of Etihad aircraft. Instead of being over tly promotional, the ad draws on national pride and celebrates the experience of being an Emirati. The music video aired on television, in movie theaters and was also posted on the Etihad YouTube channel, where it has received more than 250,000 views. A number of secondary “making of” videos were also produced to give people a glimpse into how the video was created and introduce the characters in it. Finally, “Welcome to the Home We Share” was made available for download on iTunes, with sale proceeds going to the Red Crescent. Billboards for the campaign were erected in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai. Hayyakum Fi Darkum also played on national radio, and hashtag #HAYYAKUM suppor ted the social media push. The whole campaign is hosted on a micro-site with suitably high production values.
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EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL DIGITAL TV, PRINT, OOH
