Cathay Pacific Airways: Case study

Credits & Description:

Company Entering : Mccann Worldgroup Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Brand : Cathay Pacific Airways
Advertiser : Cathay Pacific Airways
Agency : Mccann Worldgroup Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Managing Partner : Brandon Cheung
Executive Creative Director : Martin Lever
Creative Director : Guilherme Pecego
Copywriter : Dan Jacques/jules O'brien
Chinese Copywriter : Juvenia Poon
Art Director : Wong Ping Wai/mok Ting Ngo/aneeza Arshad
Account Director : Julia Broughton
Account Manager : Julian Egli
Account Executive : Leo Pang
Strategic Planning Director : Karen Chan
Strategic Planning Manager : Prashant Galani
Illustrator : George Cheung
Agency Producer : Wing Tam
Background overview :
Challenge:
Cathay pacific needed to change the conversation about premium travel for frequent travelers. But in order to maximise and leverage the limited budget provided, just talking seats and inflight entertainment would not be enough.
Insight:
When we fly, cabin pressure and altitude can dull our palate by up to 30% – often ruining the taste of food and drink. Some airlines try to enhance the flavour of food, but what about the world’s favourite alcoholic beverage? This presented an opportunity for cathay pacific, who needed an innovative way to change negative perception about their customer service.
Execution:
We created the world’s first beer scientifically crafted for 35,000ft. We called it “betsy” after our very first aircraft, and fused aviation science with a reinvented brewing process to combat the effects flying has on our sense of taste. Betsy launched on selected routes, triggering a global conversation about airline innovation, with demand reaching staggering heights.
Results:
104m in earned media 97x return on ad spend 83% said betsy differentiated the cathay experience 74% said enhanced the travel experience rolled out across all key routes