benchmark report
airline marketing
digital
embarq
mon voyage
AIR CANADA Hot on the heels of “Test Drive Canada” effor t in June, Air Canada marketers have come up with another social/digital ‘first.’ The airline has created a program called Embarq, which targets the millennial traveller and plays into the increasing popularity of crowdfunding as a means to raise money for projects. Embarq aims to help “cash-strapped” Canadians go on a honeymoon, business trip or adventure by collecting small donations from friends, family, and even total strangers – which the par ticipant receives as an Air Canada e-gift card. The campaign centers around a branded that emulates popular microsite crowdfunding websites like Kickstar ter or Go Fund Me. It launched with the help of a promotional video , which has netted AUG 2016 ISSUE
AIR FRANCE more than 600,000 views on YouTube. To star t, par ticipants create an Embarq account or sign in using an existing Air Canada account. Next, the hopefuls write about the Air Canada destination they want to visit and upload images and videos to help create a compelling story. Then, it’s up to them to share via social media or appeal to loved ones to donate. Unlike many crowdfunding websites that only fund a project if 100% of the target is reached, Air Canada’s Embarq program sees e-gift cards issued to par ticipants no matter what. This effor t has been covered by popular travel sites like Tnooz and Conde Nast Traveler . As of July 19, more than 800 Canadians had launched travel-funding campaigns with Embarq.
This summer, Air France launched a digital campaign to promote France as a destination. ‘Mon Voyage’ encouraged travelers to share, via the airline’s Facebook and Twitter channels, what they love most about visiting France. France is a country that captivates the hear ts and minds of visitors, with a wide variety of activities for romantics, shoppers, dreamers, nature lovers, adventurers and gourmands everywhere. But recent events have negatively impacted travel to France, and Air France wanted to do its par t to bring visitors back. The campaign was intended to run from July 7 through July 28, with free tickets on offer to Paris, Nice and Bordeaux. As par t of the promotion, the airline featured 20 unique experiences which travellers could enjoy at the destinations, and animated these with colorful illustrations.
Tragically, the promotion was paused after the attack in Nice during the Bastille day celebrations on July 14. As the airline explained in the dedicated microsite the serious nature of the event prompted the airline to pause the promotion out of respect of those who were killed on that night and their families and loved ones. The airline also said it would give out the awards that par ticipants had already won up to that point. Air France restar ted its social media activities on July 22nd with an Olympicthemed promotion featuring a 360º view of Rio de Janeiro (video) and a Rio destination guide on a dedicated microsite .
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EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL DIGITAL TV, PRINT, OOH
