The Campaign

Significant improvements to the Qantas product and service had been made, which was showing through record customer satisfaction scores. But beyond the experience, research showed customers wanted to know how it was pulled off. How does Qantas ensure 400 flights take off and land each day? Where does my bag go on that belt? Where do cabin crew go to sleep!? We had great stories to tell and Australia’s fascination with Qantas reassured us there was appetite to hear them. What format should these stories take? Three key trends informed us: 1)Unprecedented growth in the consumption of Factual Entertainment television 2012-2015, delivering millions of eyeballs 2)In the same period, a +535% growth in online streaming subscriptions, so whatever we created had to be watchable on demand, on any device 3)Social needed to play a key part; ensuring viewers could interact, ask questions and engage with our stories

Creative Execution

We created Ready for Take-Off. An 8-part, 30min factual entertainment documentary that told the story of running the world’s safest airline. At no cost, the show aired primetime on Channel Nine over eight weeks, and was moved from Friday to Wednesday at 7:30pm; the Holy Grail for branded content. It was available on JumpIn (Nine’s streaming service) immediately after airing, allowing mobile or tablet users to watch on-demand. The role of digital was critical and two-fold: 1)Drive viewership; heavy paid social media prior, during and post-show drove awareness. Editorial content and PR reviews of the show were promoted via Outbrain, and influential social media handles (media and aviation enthusiasts) encouraged tune-in. 2)Drive engagement; additional social content was released to coincide with significant events on screen, deeper two minute side stories appeared in social, and live Q&A’s were conducted via Periscope during commercial to ensure audience retention and engagement.

Consistently delivered 600,000 viewers, peaking at over 1 million (just on TV). Regularly number one for its timeslot and once (Ep5) rated number one show of the day across FTA TV. Against key objectives: 1)Positive narrative : Social media: Sentiment over 90% positive sentiment; Engagement double that of other posts on Qantas channels. 2)Perceptions vs reality: Integrity was delivered with the majority (55%) of the airtime containing negative or neutral storylines, before demonstrating a resolution. Just 20% of people thought the show was made by Qantas vs. 63% thinking Qantas was just featured. 3)Pride amongst employees: Staff satisfaction scores up across the period. 4)Public affection: 95% of viewers said they would watch again. 5)Contemporary: +37% against the metric “Makes me think Qantas is an innovative airline” amongst audience. 6)Partnership Value: Over $16,000,000 ROI. 7)Revenue: Delivered revenue from digital inventory and International tape sales, currently already sold in six markets.

The Qantas Ready for Take Off campaign turns the brand integration model on its head by positioning the advertiser as the creator and entire subject of a prime time show. The campaign created, Ready for Take Off, set a new standard in branded content, consistently brining in 600,000 viewers and regularly achieving the number one programme for its timeslot.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

To reinstate Australian’s love for Qantas by building a connection beyond the corporation and with to the humans behind the scenes, demonstrating the lengths they go to keep Australia’s International airline running. Quite simply, we knew we needed more than just a new ad campaign. This wouldn’t deliver against such a task. We needed a format that would provide the space and engagement to support in-depth storylines and character development. That format needed to provide premium presence in keeping with the Qantas brand and national reach. The answer was a TV programme told through the lens of Qantas staff as key characters that charted the highs and lows and the smiles and tears of running Qantas in 2015. Across Australia and abroad and at 35,000ft, Ready for Take-Off gave viewers a “warts and all” account of how Qantas moves over 28 million customers annually.