Storyboard: Tasman campaign breaks new ground

Live kangaroos, fleets of buses and new-age lollipop ladies all play a part in Air New Zealand's broadest-ever marketing campaign.

The campaign: Air New Zealand says the launch of its lower-priced Tasman Express service to Australia broke new ground for the airline through the campaign's emphasis on an integrated marketing campaign.

The key aim was to push the new Tasman Express $189 (plus insurance, levies and airport taxes) one-way fares to Sydney.

"We're challenging New Zealanders to think of buying an airfare in the same breath as buying a new pair of shoes," said Air New Zealand's vice-president marketing Ed Sims.

The execution: As well as print and broadcast advertisements, the campaign included ambient marketing concepts such as Tasman Express posters in the kangaroo and wallaby enclosure at Auckland Zoo.

Teams of street promoters were used at busy pedestrian crossings in Newmarket and Queen St, marshalling shoppers like lollipop ladies with stop/go batons and price messages.

Other elements of the campaign included using a helicopter, which spent more than 10 hours aloft over Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch trailing a massive $189 banner, posters in shopping malls in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch, and on 130 buses.

Email direct mail messages were also sent to the airline's 680,000 Airpoints customers.

"Our aim was to ensure nobody missed the $189 message and that they clearly understood the new fares are everyday low prices not just promotional specials," said Sims.



The results: Air NZ says independent research shows the integrated marketing campaign has been a success, with three- quarters of Kiwis questioned aware of the new airfares.

Auckland-based research company Research Solutions was commissioned to interview 300 people over the past two weeks for their reaction to the Tasman Express announcement.

Research Solutions director Debra Hall said the most notable feature of the research so far had been the strength of awareness from the first 24 hours of the campaign.

"Right from the outset, we saw scores of 70-80 per cent awareness. This primarily reflects the strength of the media coverage that the Tasman Express campaign generated in that first day. As the advertising presence has built behind the initial launch, awareness has been sustained at those very high levels.

"Interestingly, the depth of the message has also come out strongly - people are aware it's not just about lower fares but also about a new one-way pricing structure, fewer restrictions on fares, retention of food and beverage, more seats in the lowest fare ranges and the strength of the airline's transtasman frequency."

The lessons: Sims said while marketing strategy had tended towards traditional in the past, the company was impressed with the changes in customer perceptions it had achieved through the ambient components of the latest campaign.

The integrated campaign had helped "broaden the reach of the brand" and Air New Zealand would continue to experiment with ambient components in future marketing initiatives.