Situation

To raise awareness of its new direct route between Chicago and Auckland, Air New Zealand needed to make a splash to capture the attention of Chicagoans in an otherwise crowded market.

Air New Zealand wanted to create an immersive experience that educated consumers through the senses and welcomed Chicagoans to escape and share in the wonder that is New Zealand while also breaking down common travel barriers.

Objectives

- Drive bookings on the new route from Chicago to Auckland

- Ideas that can be replicated in other markets with less budget

- The activation needs to be B2C and B2B

- Execute a transportable brand activation that will get consumers desperate to experience and share it, media excited to write about it and travel agents keen to be a part of it

Insights

North Americans often perceive flight time to New Zealand as being up to two days, when in fact it is only 16 hours from Chicago. With the introduction of Air New Zealand's new direct route, New Zealand is, for the first time, only a sleep away for Chicagoans. AirNZ is a new player in the Chicago market and most of the population are unaware of the brand and what it stands for. Only 21% of the Illinois pollution consider New Zealand for holidays, so there is a destination education job to do.

RECOMMENDATION

The solution? Literally "deliver" a fully immersive three-day pop-up experience highlighting the best Air New Zealand has to offer by way of three life size shipping containers dropped down in Pioneer Court.

Leverage the Infinity Room trend to create compelling, share-worthy moments that spur wanderlust.

Each shipping container featured a bespoke experience for visitors. With the pop-up activation, Air New Zealand was able to break down travel barriers, provide destination advice, and build brand awareness for New Zealand considerers.

Execution

Air New Zealand dropped three shipping containers to Pioneer Court in downtown Chicago including:

One-of-a-Kind Infinity Room:Air New Zealand developed a one-of-a-kind infinity room, designed to transport Chicagoans to New Zealand and Australia. Through the use of light and mirrors, panoramic sound, tactile elements and dynamic video content,an ordinary shipping container became so much more - rolling hills, vast oceans and starry skies iconic to New Zealand landscapes

Kiwi-Inspired Cuisine:Guests could sample complimentary New Zealand-inspired refreshments including award-winning New Zealand wine, a selection of New Zealand cheeses paired with Manuka Honey, signature Flat White coffee and specially crafted kiwi fruit flavored gelato.

Inflight Simulation:Air New Zealand's seats were on site for guests to try out, in addition to VR and AR technology showcasing the airline's Business Premier cabin and theFuture of Flight.

Alongside, Air New Zealand used digital media to post teaser videos of the event (banners and social media ads). They also used 13 influencers to post organic Instagram feed posts, stories and live videos. They put paid amplification behind 3 influencer's content from the AirNZ handle and from the influencerowned channels.

The media also picked up the campaign: the campaign was featured in top US journal outlets including USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Redeye, Chicago Business Journal.

Results

Over The Three Days The Event Was Open, Consumer Footfall Reached 2.117 People.

Influencer results

13 influencers posted organic Instagram feed posts, Stories, and went live

We put paid amplification behind 3 influencer's content from the Airnz handle and from the influencerowned channels

Questions

1. The campaign adopted a mass marketing approach rather than targeting specific segments of the population. What in the case suggests that a mass marketing approach was the best strategy? (2 marks).

2. List the marketing strategies used in the campaign (4 marks)

3. Pick one of the strategies and evaluate it based on 4 features/aims of branding in the digital era (4 marks).

4. Critically evaluate the brand building effects of the campaign using the 5 As model (10 marks).