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 Company: The Marketing Arm, Dallas, TX
Company Description: Founded in 1993, The Marketing Arm is a promotions and events agency specializing in entertainment, sports, cause, and multicultural marketing. Based in Dallas, The Marketing Arm operates within Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC).
Nomination Category: Advertising Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Direct Response/Direct Mail Ad
Nomination Title: American Airlines "DealFinder"
- The date on which this nominated ad was first run, aired, or otherwise made public:
July 2007
- Briefly describe this entry’s communications objectives and how it met those objectives (up to 100 words):
http://thestevies.com/ABA08Attachments/TheMarketingArm/
BACKGROUND
In July 2007, American Airlines’ AA.com launched the DealFinder desktop widget.
(Learn more at: www.aa.com/dealfinder). When downloaded, DealFinder allows
consumers to set their travel preferences based on these questions:
* Where do you want to travel?
* On what dates do you want to travel?
* How many people are traveling with you?
* How much money do you want to spend?
Then, DealFinder alerts them (on their desktop) when it finds a flight
price/schedule match based on their preferences. At which point the consumer is
only one click away from booking their flight.
The DealFinder tool also:
* Lets you receive personalized, customized marketing message and exclusive
fares/discounts
* Contains all the information you enjoy at the AA.com site right at your
fingertips
* Is unique and more advanced technically than its competitors – no competing
tool can match against price point
* Allows you to receive ALL your designated RSS feeds – AA feeds and all the
others you have – in one place on your desktop (e.g., travel, news and weather
sites)
SITUATION
AA.com tasked The Marketing Arm with developing a targeted direct marketing
campaign and supporting online promotion that would introduce the new DealFinder
tool, create awareness and drive downloads.
OBJECTIVE
Introduce the new AA.com DealFinder tool: create awareness and drive downloads.
STRATEGIES
1. Send 1MM+ direct mail pieces to high-value American Airlines flyers,
educating them on the benefits of DealFinder:
* Separate the audience into three segments
* Test a different creative execution against each audience segment
2. Create an online promotion to further educate consumers about the DealFinder
tool and encourage them to download it:
* Utilize a “chance to win” sweepstakes as an incentive – “Win a Trip Around
the World”
* Partner with MasterCard to increase prize package value, and motivate
bookings using the card
COMMUNICATION VEHICLES
1. Targeted Direct Mail campaign
2. Emails from American to their email subscribers (AAirmail, eSummary and
NetSAAver emails)
3. Online banner ads on AA.com
DIRECT MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Audience
These consumers tend to be highly educated and travel often. They like to plan
their leisure trips well in advance and are airline savvy. They know that fares
will go on sale at some point, and they want to be the first to hear when their
“magic price” becomes available.
These consumers are also tech-savvy. They have all the latest technology to make
their lives easier (e.g., iPhones, desktop alert tools for other airlines,
Podcasts with the latest news, etc.)
Audience 1:
AAdvantage customers, US residents, non-military, flew 5+ economy seating round
trips on over the past 2 years, with 50% of these trips on American Airlines
Audience 2:
Non-AAdvantage customers, US residents, non-military, flew economy seating round
trips on American Airlines recently
Audience 3:
AAdvantage members with high incomes who have kids. These customers mentioned
“family” as a preferred marketing choice on AA.com
DIRECT MAIL DATES
The first piece dropped October 17, 2007 and the last piece dropped November 5,
2007
CREATIVE
“THE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH THESE THREE WORDS … WE FOUND IT!” (aka “We Found It!”)
Dropped 10/17/07
50% sent to audience 1
50% sent to audience 2
How it works:
- Cover: The journey begins with these three words.
- Open the perforated flap over “these three words” and you see “We Found It!”
- Flip open the piece and you find an image of the DealFinder at the bottom
having located a search, showing the words “We Found It!” in an alert to the
consumer
- Track audience downloads by having them click on a unique URL to download
DealFinder: www.aa.com/wefoundit
“THE HARDEST WORKING TOOL IN TRAVEL” (aka “Swiss Army Knife”)
Dropped 10/30/07
50% sent to audience 1, 50% sent to audience 2
How it works:
- A self-mailer
- This piece has a wheel on the right side – turn it and you can change the
“preferences” on the DealFinder (e.g., SFO to JFK, departure date 11/21/07,
return date 11/25/07 or DFW to LAX, departure date 10/12/07, return date 10/14/07)
- Track audience downloads by having them click on a unique URL to download
DealFinder: www.aa.com/deals
“CHART YOUR COURSE” (aka “Map/Tube”)
Dropped 11/05/07
100% sent to audience 3
How it works:
- A tube with art work printed on it indicating to “open and learn more about
the AA.com DealFinder”
- The tube includes:
* A laminated map that can be written on
* AA.com-branded dry-erase board markers (one red, one blue)
* A letter/insert explaining the DealFinder and how the map should be used
to plan future trips, or chart your course for past trips you’ve taken. Perhaps
put it on the refrigerator and let the kids’ plan the next family trip (or two,
or three …)
- Track audience downloads by having them click on a unique URL to download
DealFinder: www.aa.com/map
ONLINE PUBLIC PROMOTION
AUDIENCE
American Airlines customers
PROMOTION DATES
January 7, 2008 – March 7, 2008 (60 days)
CREATIVE
“DEALFINDER ONLINE PROMOTION SITE HOMEPAGE”
The landing page for consumers visiting the promotional site
“DEALFINDER PROMOTION KEY GRAPHIC”
Used in emails and online banner ads to drive consumers to the promotional site
RESULTS
Direct Mail
RESULTS DATA REDACTED FROM ENTRY FOR PUBLICATION
The data show that while the first direct mail – “We Found It!” – provided the
largest number of direct downloads, the pieces that drove awareness, “Swiss Army
Knife” and “Map/Tube,” resulted in higher indirect downloads. That is to say,
DealFinder was downloaded by users going to AA.com/dealfinder or through the
AA.com homepage rather than by using the direct URL on the direct mail piece
(aa.com/deals or aa.com /map). We can conclude that the direct mail pieces had a
much higher awareness impact than can be measured directly.
Online Public Promotion
Based on the average conversion rate for an AA.com online public promotion, the
public promotion is considered successful.
- List the appropriate creative and production credits for this entry: Advertising Agency/City: Client: Art Director: Cinematographer: Creative Director: Designer: Director: Illustrator/City: Music Producer/City: Photographer/City: Printer/City: Producer: Production Company/City: Programmer: Writer: Web Development Firm/City:
Nowell Upham, EVP, The Marketing Arm
Scott Biggers, Group Concept Director, The Marketing Arm
Todd Lancaster, Creative Director, The Marketing Arm
Carrie Rosamond, Account Supervisor, The Marketing Arm
Julie Schneider, Account Director, The Marketing Arm
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