Air New Zealand Now Boarding for Middle Earth

An Air Zealand flight attendant wearing
elf ears for promotion of 'The Hobbit.'

This past week Air New Zealand announced a new partnership with New Line Cinema, the major American film production studio responsible for the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. 

This strategic alliance was announced at San Diego’s Comi-Con festival for the upcoming release of the two-film Peter Jackson epic “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.”

In a press release from the Air New Zealand website, Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures’ President, said, “Just as Peter Jackson is able to transport audiences to the magical world of Middle Earth, Air New Zealand brings people to the breathtaking landscape that has been home to these epic productions.” 

The country of New Zealand is the filming location for both Hobbit films as well as the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, which helped to put the country on the map as an international tourist destination. With ‘Tolkien Tourism,’ or the trend of fans to flock towards iconic places like ‘The Shire,' the country has experienced a major economic boost from the popularity of the previous films. The government of New Zealand has also poured in $10 million NZD into the promotion of The Hobbit films around the world, the first of which is scheduled to hit theaters on the 14th December, 2012.

The airline has dubbed themselves the “Official Airline of Middle Earth” for the campaign. As part of the two-year agreement, two Boeing 777 aircrafts will be branded with The Hobbit for flights from the U.K. and North America to New Zealand. The airline promises a unique, in-flight promotion experience, as well as an in-flight safety video with a hobbit theme.

This is not the first time Air New Zealand has embarked on bold marketing campaigns. In 2010, the company introduced a twist to their in-flight safety video called the “Bare Essentials of Safety.” The airline staff stowed their regular uniforms for a wardrobe fashioned out of just body paint instead. This commercial spurred online marketing discussions all over the world and has since generated nearly 7 million views on YouTube. No doubt their new campaign will spark sky-high enthusiasm once again.

McLaren Aim to Alter Brand Image

The recent launch of Sky Sports F1 HD has given F1 teams a platform to communicate with their fan base like never before. To capitalise on this, McLaren have teamed up with London-based animation company ‘Framestore’, in order to produce a series of twelve 3-minute animations featuring members of the McLaren team. The series, Tooned, will release one episode for every race remaining in the season, with plans for another series next year. The first video, Wheel Nuts, which aired on July 8th features Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button battle for dominance in a humorous CGI animation. 

The idea behind the series is to thaw the cold image McLaren perceive their brand to have. With a meticulous and scientific approach to their sport, it is difficult to lose this image off the track. The plan is to appeal to a wider audience, with hopes of tapping into the family market. It is hoped that using the real characters and voices, in CGI form, will alleviate the seriousness associated with the brand presently. 

The question now is, have McLaren taken the correct approach to altering their image? Will this series even reach its target audience? It is difficult to tell at this early stage, however, with talks of full length episodes and even a feature film, there is the possibility of great success.

Keep an eye out for the series over the coming weeks! - R.Conway

This year’s Olympic sponsors have taken an alternative approach to promoting their brand. They are no longer trying to push their products to the market through mass marketing. Instead, they are focusing on the parents of the athletes, the people at home, and the Olympic fans. This shows an increased level of engagement with the fans and target consumers. It makes the whole experience a lot more personal and touches on the consumer’s emotions, humour, and their own experiences with their children or parents.

Procter and Gamble currently have a ‘Thank you, Mom’ campaign which shows the athlete’s childhood and how their mother was the force behind them encouraging them each step of the way. The campaign focuses on the life of the athlete rather than the sporting excellence of the athlete. It means that the consumer feels as though they can relate to the athlete, whilst also being emotionally connected to the campaign. 

A less likely sponsor to take this approach is McDonald’s. Their most recent Olympic campaign focuses on the fans of the Olympic Games. The campaign consists of portrait photographs of the different types of fans, such as ‘the come-on come-on-er’. These portrait photographs will be made up of the McDonald’s customers, employees, and some of the British farmers that supply ingredients to the restaurant.

The campaign is going to record, replay, and celebrate the people, the moments, and emotions that will make the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games an exciting and engaging event worldwide.

Is this the way forward for these large companies? Is this their long-term marketing strategy for the future, or are they playing on the emotions of the consumer in order to personalise their brand? Something tells me it is probably the latter.