Air New Zealand

The edgy marketing campaign due to depart on 13th October 2009 will see the flight depart from Los Angeles and arrive in Auckland, New Zealand attempting to attract American singles to visit New Zealand. However, it is open to other travellers as well. Round Trip ticket prices start at $780 (USD).

“New Zealand is often positioned as a thrill seeker, adventure destination, but it’s also very romantic too,” said Sarah Miller-Reeves, PR and sponsorship executive for the Americas at Air New Zealand. “This allows us to present the romantic nature of New Zealand… really engaging a wider cross section of American consumers.”

To engage the attention of potential single travellers to the flight, Air New Zealand created an online community using Ning, www.thematchmakingflight.com The online community has been designed for people to sign up, create profiles, interact with one another and pose flight-related questions to a moderator.

Once the consumer has booked their flight, additional features on the network are unlocked, such as the ability to become acquainted with the flight crew and send Facebook gifts to fellow passengers.

Once on-board, the flight will feature romantic movies, speed dating, and other matchmaking games to encourage interaction between those on-board.

There will also be a pre and post flight parties in Los Angeles and Auckland.

“Air New Zealand is always looking for fun ways to improve our customers’ experience, and we love the thought of playing matchmaker to help them find a mate in New Zealand or in the air,” said Roger Poulton, Air New Zealand’s vice president – the Americas. “If your dating profile says you enjoy fine wine and long walks on the beach, then New Zealand is your perfect place for romance. And let’s not forget our charming Kiwi accents—what more could an American want?”

Through its marketing campaign, Air New Zealand are playing with the idea that the cities are on opposite sides of the world and have different climates by incorporating the idea of ‘opposites attract’ into its messaging.

The airline company are also taking full advantage of social networking sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Flickr, and video site 12 seconds to boost the advertisement of the campaign.

Miller-Reeves said the airline, which is working on this campaign with its AOR, CRT/tanaka, will likely work with its usual partner organizations like Tourism New Zealand and the New Zealand Wine Growers to further promote the flight.

The matchmaking flight is one of many edgy marketing campaigns by Air New Zealand. Previous campaigns have included, the ‘Pink Flight’ for LGBT travellers and the ‘Cranial Billboard’ campaign in October.

“We definitely try to be more edgy and kind of push a little bit and really think outside the box,” Miller-Reeves said.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) claim that every week around 39 pubs are closing down in the UK, while at the same time the government is believed to be planning to increase the tax on beer.

The fall of UK pubs comes during the struggle to make ends meet during the current recession, with consumers spending less in the pubs and more in the supermarkets, purchasing cheaper alcohol in bulk.

This fall has led the BBPA to run the Axe the Beer Campaign, specifically targeting chancellor Alistair Darling’s plans to raise the Budget on April 22nd.

So far, the campaign has seen over 200 MP’s sign a parliamentary motion to scrap the increase in tax.

Wychwood brewery, on the eve of Cask Ale week, launched a protest against Parliament, projecting one of their famous Hobgoblin characters on Big Ben in London.

The Hobgoblin character was posed in the style of Lord Kitchener, in the famous WW1 recruitment poster, accompanied by the phrase, “British beer needs you!”

Stephen Oliver, managing director of Marston’s Beer Company, which owns Wychwood, said, “Cask Beer is one of a few British treasures left. Crafted using British grown ingredients, for thousands of years, it is truly part of our heritage and something we vigilantly need to protect.”

Cask Ale week is a celebration of Britian’s national drink with over 6,000 pubs nationwide, running events to keep the British tradition alive.

Mark Hastings, BBPA director of communications, said, “Beer is our national drink.

“The Government should support national champions, but our Chancellor continues to load punitive tax increases on beer.

“Last year alone he put up tax on a pint by an eye-watering 18 per cent.

“Now he plans to put it up again in the Budget on April 22. The British people don’t want it. It’s time to say enough is enough and stop any further tax increase in this year’s Budget.”

Wychwood Beer are encouraging people to jump on board the campaign by mimicking the Hobgoblin pose and uploading it on their Facebook homepage, ‘British Beer Needs You.’