The Campaign

SNICKERS AIR – THE WORLD’S FIRST HUNGER-FREE AIRLINE The regular outpouring of anger at Chinese airports during the New Year period is made worse by the overpriced food concessions and boring home-made snacks that fuel most trips. So we partnered with one of China’s biggest domestic carriers, China Eastern Airlines, to create a hunger-free flight. Taking over a Boeing 737 plane for the 40-day holiday period, we would integrate Snickers into every aspect of the journey, from boarding passes to the in-flight entertainment. And we’d make this unique experience available to a select few with only 170 flights across Chinese New Year. Snickers Air would also fuel those taking a less luxurious route, providing entertainment for their Chinese New Year journeys as well as reminding them never to travel hungry. The message would reach them via the most visited websites, apps and cities.

The Brief

Overall budget US$1 mil – US$9.9 mil Airline partnership USD 319,000 Ctrip display ads and engagement USD 520,000 12306 display ads USD 130,000 Tencent targeting ads USD 390,000 Bus Shelter Posters USD 133,000

Creative Execution

EVERY ASPECT OF THE JOURNEY WAS BRANDED A press conference launched the partnership of Snickers and China Eastern Airlines on January 15th 2018, taking the message to China’s 500m New Year travellers via video seeded out across Weibo via fan, express targeted ads, PR including China News Weekly, and Ctrip, China’s biggest travel booking site. The lucky few who won seats on Snickers Air experienced not just a rebranded Boeing but much more from the Snickers boarding card, through to the Snickers safety check and the Snickers desert. Even the in-flight entertainment was Snickers themed. We also activated the experience beyond China Eastern Airlines’ 61m customers – who experienced rebranded check-ins and VIP lounges – with data taking Snickers Air to anyone who travelled by air in 2017 or had booked tickets via Tencent to travel in 2018. Billions of special packs at retail completing the journey across the country.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

WE OWNED THE JOURNEY HOME AND BACK AGAIN We hit 5.5bn media impressions. PR impressions reached 3.2 billion. Our video was watched 35m times, for a fraction of the industry benchmark cost per view. We boosted social buzz for Snickers by 320%. And drove net sales value up by more than 60%, a record New Year performance for the brand. Value share rose by 1.9 points on the previous New Year. We owned China’s journey home this New Year by making sure that no one travelled hungry.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Half a billion Chinese people travel to see family and friends every New Year. And they all need food to power their journey because you’re not you when you travel hungry.   So in 2018, we partnered with one of China’s biggest domestic carriers, China Eastern Airlines, to develop a hunger-free flight – Snickers Air. Boarding with the world’s first edible boarding pass, receiving a hunger safety announcement and treated to a special in-flight meal, we created an amazing experience that entertained millions during Chinese New Year 2018, driving up net sales value by more than 60%.

THE MOST COVETED CHINESE NEW YEAR TRAVEL EXPERIENCE Our strategy would change people’s perceptions of the typical experience at airports in China and make Snickers Air the most coveted New Year travel experience. We targeted potential flyers during the New Year period through the most visited and visible mediums. We would announce the creation of China’s most luxurious airline via a press conference, showing off some of the hunger-free aspects of the flights, and then promoted the flight experience as well as the chance to win a coveted seat. Our activation strategy would allow us to reach people before and during the busiest booking period of the season, through a blend of video, social media, digital, PR, out-of-home and point-of-sale. Each execution would also entice people not only to buy Snickers, but also to try and snap up one of the exclusive seats available on our first-of-its-kind flying experience.