Air France - AF787 Heroes

Air France - AF787 Heroes

Air France is the latest airline to introduce the Boeing 787 into its fleet, and like other airlines it created a series of events to publicise its arrival.

Previous airline Boeing 787 campaigns have included ANA creating Star Wars themed Dreamliners, Thomson giving social media fans the chance to name the aircraft and British Airways racing a Dreamliner to Toronto against a so-called ‘Tweetliner’ (a virtual plane).

Air France’s chosen launch mechanic was to offer customers and aviation enthusiasts the chance to book flights on special flights around France.

Over January, passengers could book special flights that took them over Corsica, Gascony, Brittany as well as one that toured the whole country (flight AF789). Tickets for the flights ranged in price from €249 for an economy ticket to €787 for a business class seat.

The ‘Patrouille de France’ jets from the French Air Force accompanied one of the preview flights reserved for the media, releasing trails of red, blue and white smoke in tribute to France’s national flag.

Air France’s Dreamliner launch was in fact very similar to its January 2016 campaign where it said goodbye to the 747. At the time 30,000 people tried to get on board one of a series of special farewell flights, and the Patrouille de France jets similarly acted as an aerial honour guard.

However Air France’s Dreamliner launch had one crucial addition, the airline employed the services of famous photographer Sacha Goldberger.

People boarding each flight had their photo taken where they were portrayed as ‘heroes’ (e.g. by wearing a cape or striking a superhero pose). This fits in with Goldberger’s previous work, for example his “Super Flemish” project showed superheroes portrayed in the style of the Flemish school.

These photos then in turn formed the basis of social media content used to promote the flights.

Key Take-Away

Running special ‘preview’ flights is a tried and tested tactic that has worked well for Air France in the past. Teaming up with a well known photographer however provided something extra, it showed not only planes but added a human dimension to the project.

While many aviation brands have now worked with Instagram pros, it is worth looking at whether a campaign with an ‘old school’ photographer can be just as worthwhile, if not more so.

Another example of a brand which took this approach is Dubai international Airport, which worked wth Swiss portrait photographers Matthias Braschler and Monika Fischer to document 24 hours in the life of the airport.