Physical events were replaced by virtual online events, webinars, demonstrations, industry gatherings and physical experiential activities were replaced by video, VR/AR and animation. The outcome is that this new way of interacting with customers has been so successful there will be no turning back!
Aviation manufactures are being challenged by airline operators trying to understand the dynamics/profitability of air travel post covid and how to achieve their environmental targets as climate change becomes the world’s number one priority.
The new 20/21 Embraer- Profit Hunter campaign ‘A force with nature’ addressed this appetite and provided content across all platforms to satisfy what can only be described as an insatiable appetite for thought leadership in unprecedented circumstances.
This campaign adapted quickly from previous go to market campaigns to fit the new reality of Covid and in so doing outperformed not only all previous campaigns but all other manufacturers campaigns including the giants, Boeing and Airbus. The result? A whopping five Gold wins for:
- Best use of creative.
- Best use of digital techniques or technologies.
- Best use of social media or influencer marketing.
- Best corporate decision-maker-targeted campaign.
- Best brand initiative.
About the client company
Embraer, a Brazilian company, is a world leader in the design and manufacturing of aircraft in the 70-130 seat segment (known as regional jets), competing against the giants of the industry Boeing and Airbus and other regional challengers.
Strategy – broader business issues the company faced
Gravity Global set out to create a go-to-market campaign that pivoted from a concentration on physical events to virtual events: webinars, viral video, VR and AR, print, social casts, social media, thought leadership content, PR, email marketing and web experiences.
Gravity research indicated three key issues keeping airline operators awake at night.
- How to navigate the impact of Covid-19.
- How to generate profit in a post covid world with reduced passenger numbers.
- How to deliver on their environmental targets as climate change becomes the world’s number one priority.
The solution to these challenges involved persuading airlines of the benefits of the E2 next generation aircraft that are a lot easier to fill in an environment of lower passenger numbers and has the innovation and technology to deliver significant environmental benefits by operating with lower noise, less fuel burn, less maintenance requirements as well as delivering a much reduced carbon emission footprint.
Gravity created personas for the audience and the aircraft. Renaming the E190-E2 and E195-E2 (not memorable) as the ‘Profit Hunter’ reflecting the core proposition (most efficient/profitable) and the target market’s needs (profit) – something even more relevant in the current environment.
The ‘big idea’ extended from previous campaigns was to use predators from the natural world on nose cones of aircraft to attract attention but this time it needed to be in the virtual world to reflect the audience personas as hunters of profit and environmental improvement.
The challenge was to ‘own’ sustainability without having the ability to visit customers or showcase the aircraft at the various air shows around the world. Covid had closed it all down.
The solution was to create an Embraer digital destination and fly people across the internet to e2sustainability.com using predominantly video content to drive traffic.
Objectives of the campaign
- To support the recovery of the airline industry as Covid 19 changes the future of air travel and passenger numbers.
- Lead the aviation headlines on sustainability.
- Amplify how Embraer aircraft solve future challenges post covid.
- Land the tech message with audiences in an imaginative way.
- Beat previous campaign results.
- Outperform Positive Brand Sentiment with Boeing and Airbus.
- Increase global reach and brand awareness by maximizing media opportunities across paid, owned and earned on a smaller budget than previous years.
- Drive prospects to visit the website.
The target audience
The c-suite, operators of 70 airlines across 50 countries in existing and new markets including leasing companies, analysts and the media.
Media, channels or techniques used
Launched E2 Profit Hunter campaign – ‘A Force with Nature’ – Different Animal for a Different World:
- Creating predator animations of the ‘Profit Hunter’ aircraft.
- Press, online display and paid social advertising.
- Paid and organic social posts.
- Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube posts.
- Embraer TV streamed live on social media.
- VR experience of flying the Profit Hunter.
- AR to demonstrate the technology on the aircraft.
- Produced a new Market Outlook report – Market forecast, challenges and opportunities for the next 10 years.
- Created a short film series: ‘Incredible Journeys.’ Released episode 7 – Brazil.
- Customer events filmed virtually for Helvetic, Air Peace, KLM – and to amplify through press, online display and paid social advertising.
- Insights for a Different World episodes – web series – 3 episodes – Introduction episode, rightsizing and sustainability episodes.
- Webinar – marketing communications around webinars, LinkedIn campaigns and email marketing, content writing. Planning and supporting across all webinars.
- All content, designs, UI, development, hosting and management of the ECA website.
- E2 web page, content, advertising.
- OOH – print and digital OOH communications – For KLM, Helvetic delivery.
- Social listening and monitoring and reporting.
- Social media marketing and managing social channels on behalf of leadership, including community management.
Timescales of the campaign
Phase one: Supporting the impact of Covid – April 2020 ongoing.
Phase two: September 2020 – Ongoing
- Communicate how E2 Profit Hunter delivers sustainable profitability in a post Covid world.
- Communicate how E2 Profit Hunter meets environmental targets as climate change becomes the world’s number one priority.
Results
Completely outperformed across all KPIs.
1. Fame:
- Increased reach and engagement across all regions.
- 163% increase in brand reach.
- 107% increase in SoV.
- 85% increase in E-Jets brand mentions.
2. Website traffic:
- Europe +52%.
- Africa +77%.
- Asia up +60%.
- North America +45%.
- South America +106%.
Admiration:
- Social following growth rate 4X faster than Boeing 8x faster than Airbus.
- 214.7% increase in social engagements.
- 5x growth in engagement over the largest player – Airbus.
- Total engagement volumes +59% higher than Airbus and +64% higher than Boeing despite these brands having circa 4X the number of followers.
Belief:
Now famously known as ‘The Profit Hunter’ by customers and journalists alike alongside the proposition of the world’s most efficient single aisle aircraft.
“Gravity is part of the Embraer team. We trust their work and their commitment with our brand like it was their own. They are always available, always looking for the best strategy to be applied, and when we think they have done their best in comes the next campaign even better than the last one"
“Gravity Global created the Profit Hunter branding for Embraer Commercial Aviation and it has been an incredible global success with customers, journalists, employees and the wider industry. The iconic branding of predators on the front of the aircraft has attracted a huge following and even customers have adopted the idea for aircraft in operation. We wanted an idea that would make Embraer famous across the world and Gravity exceeded our expectations with the power of the Profit Hunter branding. It’s fast becoming the most successful branding programme in B2B marketing"
