Not the Same Old Story: Airlines Plot Unique Paths With Social Narratives
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APEX Insight: A good story has the potential to stop a prospective passenger in their tracks, but airlines are using social storytelling to do much more. Whether through comical satire or tearjerking narratives, airlines are employing the power of storytelling to depict the unique flying experience they have to offer.
At APEX MultiMedia Market in Amsterdam this year, Carolin Biebrach, Digital Innovations at Lufthansa, presented on the importance of telling a good story via social media. Biebrach shares that in developing their social media strategy, Lufthansa’s team is always asking: “How can we create inspirational content?” The answer? “We want to tell stories, to engage our communities.” At Lufthansa, the key to a good story is not just a strong narrative, but also using the latest innovations available to create it.
Here are a few examples of airlines that have spun a good story:
Lufthansa’s Hamburg – San Francisco in the Blink of an Eye
“New formats really give you reach on Facebook,” Biebrach says. Pushing the innovation behind their Lufthansa 360º Experience campaign, this video captures the journey to San Francisco from all angles. Lufthansa was the first airline to jump on Facebook’s 360º functionality. “Bringing the innovation layer to content is very important to build narrative,” Biebrach adds. The video was viewed more than five million times on Facebook and is part of a larger series on cities and experiences. (Watch the video on the YouTube app for the full effect or click on the video and drag for 360º views.)
JetBlue’s Air on the Side of Humanity
Teaming up with the Funny or Die crew in 2013, JetBlue’s pigeon parodies offer viewers a bird’s-eye view on the quirks of humanity. Told through the perspective of a frequent flyer – a pigeon named Shoo – the video series comically muses on the strange behavior of humans who are oddly complacent with sub-par flying experiences among other things. In addition to the funny episodes, the marketing campaign included a Spotify playlist, a mobile game and social-media takeovers.
British Airways’ A Ticket to Visit Mum
After first launching “A Ticket to Visit Mum” in a bid to bring travelers to India, British Airways spun its narrative yarn even further with “Go Further to Get Closer,” another tearjerker aimed at Indian travlers that tugs at the heartstrings by bringing a couple together again, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Shortly after, the airline launched #VisitSoon to promote its Australian routes. The video campaign sees Esme Rowling, an eight-year-old girl living in Australia, reunited with her British grandparents.
Life Well Travelled, Cathay Pacific
Launched in January last year, #LifeWellTravelled tells the stories of different travelers, from a Sydney-based style blogger to an Atlanta-based photographer. Like the Humans of New York portraits, the series offers glimpses into people’s journeys. To complement its storytelling-microsite, Cathay plotted with BBC Travel to explore how the passenger experience can contribute to a life well-traveled.
Virgin’s BLAH Airlines
Welcome aboard BLAH Airlines. There are three types of seats: aisle, middle and window; drinks, sodas and other liquids; and windows on every plane. “We’re not any other airline: we’re Blah,” is the story Virgin America tells for its fake airline, created to parody the so-called mundane passenger experience offered by its competitors. Not only did VA tell BLAH’s boring story on every social media challenge, it also unveiled a six-hour commercial, which recently had its premiere at Colorado’s Vail Film Festival. The campaign also just snagged a Shorty Award.