How we helped an airline take off in New Zealand.

Background

Jetstar had a rough landing when they first arrived in New Zealand. A low-fare airline from Australia, they were beset with teething troubles and were competing with a national carrier that could do no wrong. To make matters worse, despite having lower fares, any perceived weakness resulted in a flurry of negativity on social media.

We were tasked with changing people’s perceptions and to navigate Jetstar from Aussie interloper to the smart way for Kiwis to fly.

Our approach

By using small tactical executions, we aimed to gradually build up Jetstar’s standing in the eyes of Kiwis.

Punctuality Promise

The On-Time Challenge was a huge success, but just in case some punters weren’t buying our claim, we offered them our Punctuality Promise: passengers would receive $25 flight vouchers if any Jetstar plane was over 10 minutes late. Naturally, not many were given out.

Project Goodness

Goodwill among Kiwis was growing, and we showed them Jetstar was here to stay by highlighting a tree-planting programme in Ohope that the airline was backing. This was done via print, PR, and a content video.

Towns beginning with N

And while Air New Zealand was pulling out of the regions, Jetstar was going in. We launched their new routes with a TVC celebrating their arrival in New Zealand’s largest towns beginning with the letter N.

Price Radar

To further push Jetstar as the savvy traveller’s choice, we launched their Price Radar app with a TVC showing what you could be doing at the same time as browsing for flights.

Do It Again

We reinforced Jetstar’s position as the low-fare airline by showing you could afford to travel again sometime thanks to its low cost. We found Tramp, an early 70s Kiwi band, whose members were scattered around Australasia. With Jetstar’s help, we got the band back together. This was documented in an online content video, and followed up by a competition microsite where people could enter so they too could do it again sometime.

Results

Once the favourite whipping post of flying Kiwis, Jetstar successfully turned themselves around with a net promoter score showing more Kiwis thought of them in a positive light than ever. What’s more, Jetstar’s performance in New Zealand led them to be the standout market in the network.