benchmark report
airline marketing
#flightyes14
children’s day
THOMAS COOK
With the tag line ‘Inspiring personal journeys,’ Thomas Cook’s recent video contest did just that. On Valentine’s Day, the airline on its Facebook page asked fans a question: “What if you could marry your love on a plane, would you do it?” The question was the introduction to a video contest that received 25 entries and one lucky winner, Alexander Serruys. The contest prize was an inf light wedding and honeymoon in Rhodes, cour tesy of Thomas Cook. The twist, however, was that Alexander had not yet proposed to his girlfriend, Marieke van de Wal. The groom conspired with the bride’s sister to plan the inf light wedding—from choosing a dress, to staging a faux ‘gals only’ vacation—all details were taken care
JULY 2014 ISSUE
AEROFLOT
of pre-f light. Friends and family hid on board the f light in the back of the plane, while Marieke and her sister boarded and sat at the front of the plane. While soaring at 30 000 feet, Alexander walked down the aisle, got down on his knee, and proposed to Marieke. They were married then and there. The conspiracy, the proposal, and the wedding, were all documented and shared on YouTube , receiving over one million views since it was published on June 1st.
To strike a chord with travellers, passengers, and the public, Aerof lot celebrated International Children’s Day in a creative way . On June 1st, young passengers took par t in a painting exhibit aboard 21 long-haul f lights headed for different directions around the world. The kids were given some time to create their pictures using painting set from Aerof lot amenity kits for children. All of the passengers were involved in the action: the kids were trying hard to make a nice picture with their parents ready to help, others were watching the process and eager to see the results. Having f inished the task, the little ar tists proudly presented their masterpieces to the whole aircraft and were rewarded with passengers admiration and a memorable
gift from Aerof lot – a funny inf latable plane. “For kids it was a good chance to express their impressions of the journey with Aerof lot and for us – to let them feel our care and love. The festive atmosphere made the f light unforgettable. It was a truly touching moment to see the kids being the heroes of the day!” reads an Aerof lot statement. During the f irst half of June, Aerof lot also organized a ‘Colors of the Ear th and Sky’ painting contest on social media. Out of 400 entries, 20 winners were chosen, who were awarded with a visit to Aerof lot’s main off ice in the center of Moscow and their paintings might be used in design of fur ther amenity kits and other services for young passengers on board.
5
EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL DIGITAL TRADITIONAL