The Campaign

In September 2012 British Airways and Qantas announced the termination of their joint services agreement. This created a lot of media speculation about British Airways’ future in Australia. British Airways needed to communicate to customers and the Australian public its continuing presence in the market. The addition of a new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to the route provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate this new chapter and reaffirm British Airways’ reputation as an elite carrier for Australian customers flying to the UK or Europe. To capture the imagination of the target audience, the PR campaign needed to convey all of the benefits of the British Airways experience – style, luxury and superior service. So we partnered with renowned British brands Langham Hotels and London fashion label PPQ, and sought British supermodel Georgia May Jagger to help us create an exclusive event in Sydney on board the new 777-300ER on the day of its inaugural flight. British and Australian media and celebrities were treated to afternoon tea from The Langham Sydney, as they enjoyed a fashion show through the aisles of the cabin, showcasing the latest designs of Percy Parker, co-founder of leading British label PPQ. It was a runaway success, earning tens of millions of media impressions around the globe and generating $1.4 million of earned media. All with a budget of just $26,500 – a remarkable 5266% ROI.

The Brief

To demonstrate its continuing presence in the market, British Airways made significant investments in enhancing its daily service from Sydney – introducing the luxurious Boeing 777-300ER. Now they required a PR campaign that would celebrate this new chapter, publicise the new aircraft and reassure the wider public that it remains the elite carrier to the UK and Europe. Without a local carrier partner, British Airways commissioned Australian customer research, and developed seven archetypes to focus its campaigns. Two groups, the ‘affluent indulgers’ and ‘mainstream travellers’, were prioritised as targets for their aspirational qualities, high loyalty and expectations of service.

Results

The event was a runaway success and received global media coverage generating: • Tens of millions of media impressions • $1.4 million of earned media • A remarkable 5266% ROI All with a budget of just $26,500. Our fashion runway and the new aircraft achieved global media coverage across leading lifestyle media channels. The fashion and hospitality cues within the campaign allowed us to reach a number of vertical markets outside of travel. Promotional fares were launched with the event and this saw a significant increase in ticket sales, particularly Business and First Class – earning incremental revenue for British Airways across all cabins and delivering strong market share gains. The campaign generated higher ROI than traditional marketing activity and was significantly more far-reaching, as coverage appeared across key international markets. As a result of the campaign, British Airways has received approaches from new market segments, including the entertainment industry.

Execution

British Airways partnered with renowned British brands Langham Hotels, London fashion label PPQ, and British supermodel Georgia May Jagger to create an exclusive event on board the new 777-300ER. An exclusive celebrity guest list, including British and Australian media, fashion and hospitality notables, were welcomed on to the aircraft across a red carpet on the tarmac, the mood set by a string quartet. Guests were then treated to the new Tiffin afternoon tea from The Langham Hotel, served on Wedgwood china in the traditional British style. Following afternoon tea, a stunning fashion show commenced through the aisles of the cabin featuring creations from London design house PPQ. Models, led by British supermodel Georgia May Jagger, showcased the looks from PPQ’s Autumn/Winter 2013 collection, recently shown at London Fashion Week. The event was concluded with a photo call featuring British Airways pilots and cabin crew posing with the models.

The Situation

British Airways is one of the world's largest international airlines and had operated in Australia for 77 years – the last 17 under a joint services agreement with Qantas. In September 2012, the airlines agreed to terminate their arrangement from May 2013, which was followed by Qantas announcing a new global alliance partner. This created media speculation regarding British Airways’ future in Australia. Extremely proud of its history flying the Kangaroo Route, British Airways needed to communicate its intention to have a continuing presence in the Australian market.

The Strategy

From April 2013, the new 777-300ER, the pride of the British Airways fleet boasting the latest cabins and services, would take over the daily Sydney route, and for the first time deliver passengers in style to the world’s best terminal – Heathrow T5. While such investment underscored the airline’s continuing presence in Australia, to capture the imagination of the target audience the PR campaign needed to convey all of the benefits of the British Airways experience – style, luxury and superior service. With local media at fever pitch for Sydney Fashion Week a few days later, the arrival of the new aircraft to Sydney presented a unique opportunity for an exclusive on-board media event showcasing the very best of British hospitality, fashion and celebrity. As well as providing a stunning and unique venue, hosting the event on board ensured the new aircraft featured prominently in all coverage.