AIRTRAN AIRWAYS & CKPR
AIRTRAN AIRWAYS GETS CHICAGOANS TO FLAMINGO TO FLORIDA
IN FEBRUARY 2007, AIRTRAN AIRWAYS LAUNCHED A NEW FLIGHT SERVICE TO FIVE DESTINATIONS IN FLORIDA FROM CHICAGO'S MIDWAY AIRPORT. TO COMPETE WITH THE MULTITUDE OF CHOICES
AVAILABLE TO WINDY CITY TRAVELERS, AIRTRAN WANTED LOCAL RESIDENTS AND MEDIA TO BECOME AWARE OF THIS RECENT ADDITION TO THEIR FLIGHT SCHEDULES.
THINK PINK
ENLISTING THE SERVICES OF CKPR, THE TEAM DECIDED TO THINK BIG AND THINK PINK--IN THE FORM OF FLAMINGOS. THE TEAM AGREED THAT PLACING 10,000 PINK PLASTIC LAWN FLAMINGOS AROUND
HIGH-TRAFFIC CHICAGO LANDMARKS WOULD GET PEOPLE TO THINKING ABOUT VENTURING TO FLORIDA WHILE WHETTING THEIR CURIOSITY ABOUT WHO WAS BEHIND THE F-- LOCK OF FLAMINGOS. PASSERSBY WOULD
LEARN THAT THE CULPRIT WAS AIRTRAN AIRWAYS THROUGH BRANDED ITEMS TIED AROUND EACH BIRD'S NECK. BUT BEFORE THIS PLAN COULD TAKE FLIGHT, THE TEAM HAD TO GET APPROVAL FROM THE CITY
OF CHICAGO.
"A PROMOTION OF THIS SCALE HAD NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED, SO WE WERE BREAKING NEW GROUND FOR THE CITY," SAYS ROB MERRITT, SVP AND DIRECTOR OF CKPR. "OUR PROMOTION FOLLOWED ON THE
HEELS OF THE CARTOON NETWORK MARKETING CAMPAIGN IN BOSTON, WHEN LIGHT-UP DEVICES PLACED ACROSS THE CITY WERE MISTAKEN FOR BOMBS, SO GOING THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS AND GETTING
THE PERMISSION WE NEEDED WAS THE MOST TIME-CONSUMING ASPECT OF THE PROGRAM, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT."
SCAVENGER HUNT
ONCE CITY OFFICIALS SIGNED OFF ON THE PINK PLASTIC F-- LOCK, THE TEAM ORGANIZED AN ON- AND OFFLINE SCAVENGER HUNT, IN WHICH A CONSUMER WHO FINDS A "LOST" FLAMINGO WOULD BE GIVEN A
SPECIAL REWARD. AIRTRAN AIRWAYS REWARDS MEMBERS COULD LOG ONTO A FLAMINGO PAGE ON THE AIR TRAN WEB SITE TO GET CLUES TO THE BIRD'S WHEREABOUTS.
THE EVENT WAS SO SUCCESSFUL IN ENGAGING MEDIA AND CONSUMERS THAT, AFTER THE FLAMINGO INVASION, AIRTRAN'S FLORIDA SERVICE GARNERED PRINT COVERAGE IN EVERY MAJOR CHICAGO
PUBLICATION. WHAT'S MORE, TRAFFIC TO AIRTRAIN.COM DURING THE WEEK OF THE FLAMINGO LAUNCH INCREASED BY AN AVERAGE OF 55% AS COMPARED TO THE SAME WEEK IN 2006.