Star Alliance, the world’s leading airline alliance, is marking its 20th Anniversary with the launch of a global 20th Anniversary campaign. Created by Atomic London in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic and MEC, the campaign is a celebration of 20 years of connecting people and cultures through its incredibly diverse network of member airlines. The 20th Anniversary campaign marks a milestone in Star Alliance’s marketing strategy.
Having previously targeted the world’s most frequent travellers, this audience in recent years has expanded beyond the more traditional middle-aged executives using corporate travel accounts, to younger millennial, digital and mobile-first independent business travellers. It’s an audience that uses apps and social networks to enhance and enrich their business trips with personal travel experiences. Star Alliance’s creative strategy had to therefore evolve to a more engaging, human approach to reach this audience, reminding them that there are still things to be discovered in the world, if you look in the right places.
The central campaign theme focuses on cultural experiences from around the world, getting people to share their own experiences, and inspire others. To drive participation and engagement, the Alliance is hosting a global competition whereby 21 people will become Mileage Millionaires - one of the world’s biggest-ever travel prizes. Every entrants’ experience will then be added to an interactive Cultural Experience Map on the Star Alliance website, creating an online hub of searchable inspiration and memories from travellers across the world.
To inspire people further they have also created a series of documentary films starring National Geographic’s “Digital Nomad,” Robert Reid. Immersing himself in different cultures around the globe, Robert is challenged by Star Alliance and five founding member airlines (Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS, THAI and United) to take part in unusual cultural experiences, from building his shelter for the night in the arctic, to getting in the ring with a Muay Thai martial artist. The campaign is rolling out from May through September, and is supported by online, digital display, social and print.
Mark Davies, Director of Marketing at Star Alliance said: “The more we connect with diverse people and cultures globally, the more incredible things we take with us and pass on. In fact, success in today’s world is academically proven to directly correlate with international travel experience. That’s why we’re proudly celebrating 20 years of Star Alliance connecting people and cultures, and rewarding the Alliance’s loyal frequent travellers with the chance to become mileage millionaires.”
Guy Bradbury, Founding Partner and Creative Partner at Atomic, added: “We have been working with Star Alliance since Atomic started in 2012. Celebrating 20 years of Star Alliance has given us the opportunity to inspire people with a stunning documentary series, and get them to share their own favourite cultural experiences with the world.”
UPDATE
Three new films featuring National Geographic's 'Digital Nomad' Robert Reid were released on 1st August 2017 to mark the second part of the launch, and we've been invited to share them with you here:
Georgia
Canada
New Mexico
Client: Mark Davies, Star Alliance • Creative Agency: Atomic • Founding Creative Partner: Guy Bradbury • Creatives: Matt Lee and Brian Riley • Planning Partner: Richard Hill • Business Director: Christian Jaquest • Agency Producer: Becky Ormrod • Media Company: MEC • WSJ Custom Studios, Creative Director: Jim Piercy
