United - Big Metal Bird

United - Big Metal Bird

United’s new web series called Big Metal Bird is the centrepiece of a well-rounded digital campaign. The show itself is designed to be fun, smart and entertaining, while giving viewers an inside perspective on different areas of United’s massive global operations. Examples include how United chooses new routes, and a look at the airline’s catering operations.

“Plane and Simple!” is the motto of Big Metall Bird, which is hosted by likeable American sports presenter Katie Nolan. Each episode is kept short and sweet while animations,, simple language, and comedy are used to keep the fun-button pressed at all times. When an episode is released, it is promoted across all United’s social channels with the hashtag #bigmetalbird.

A microsite showcases the episodes. It is visually appealing, user friendly and literally crawling with opportunities for social media sharing. In addition to being a home for the show’s episodes, the site features other, shorter bits of video and online editorial content that support the main content of each show.

The hashtag has done very well on Twitter, and though brand content can turn some consumers off, this show seems to be winning praise from the public. One skeptical Twitter user even commented on the quality of the show, despite his typical dislike of branded content.

Even the seasoned airline critics on FlyerTalk. com seem to approve of the show, as evidenced by this thread.

Each of the four current episodes have been viewed more than 100,000 times on Youtube, with episode two having been viewed over 600,000 times.