The Offer: British Airways brought back its “Face-to-Face” campaign for a second year in a row, promoting in-person business meetings. It offered business owners the chance to be among 250 winners to attend private dinner and conference events, featuring notable business speakers in New York and London in 2011. The London event will feature British Airways CEO Willie Walsh. A top winner will receive 10 round trip tickets to any of the airline’s destinations for “face-to-face” business meetings.
The Data: The airline targeted members of its Executive Club loyalty program and entrants from last year’s campaign, which specifically targeted small businesses. This year’s entrants can submit a short essay or video by the November 11 deadline, pitching their business and explaining why they value face-to-face meetings.
The Creative: The contest features a campaign website where contestants upload their submissions but also peruse educational materials and network with other small business owners. Multimedia collateral highlights the successes of last year’s winners. BBH handled print and online collateral, OgilvyOne handled loyalty, e-Dialog handled e-mail and TBWA built the microsite.
The Channel: British Airways invited people to participate through direct mail and e-mail, along with the microsite. Print, in-flight and online advertising were also used to promote the contest. Site visitors could vote once a day for their favorite video entry.
The Verdict: Consumers crave authenticity, utility and a reflection of their lives in the brands they buy. In short: some human truth. This wasn’t lost on British Airways. By demonstrating real stories they created a truthful, authentic experience that puts the British Airways brand at the heart of why people travel: excitement, family and love.
