Airbus: AIRBUS CONCEPT CABIN

Credits & Description:

Category: Best International PR Campaign

Advertiser: AIRBUS

Product/Service: AIRCRAFT

Agency: GOOD RELATIONS

Consumer Director: Richard Moss (Good Relations)

Associate Director: Olivia Hill (Good Relations)

Associate Director: Kate Griffiths (Good Relations)

Account Manager: Katie Mitchell-Baxter (Good Relations)

Senior Account Manager: Elli Karagiorgas (Good Relations)

Senior Account Manager: Sion Owen (Good Relations)

Account Director: Edd Ross (Good Relations)

Associate Director: Vicki Morley (Good Relations)

Account Executive: Charlene Kelly (Good Relations)

Account Director: Charlie Hampton (Good Relations)

Senior Account Executive: Rebecca Milne (Good Relations)

Director: Darren Young (Good Relations)

Media placement: International Consumer PR - Global And Regional Press Releases, 1775 Press And Broadcast Pieces - 13 June 2011

Media placement: Launch Event - 100+ Media And Stakeholders At Launch In London - 13 June 2011

Media placement: Stakeholder Engagement - UK Members Of Parliament, International Roadshow Events In 30+ Countries - 13 June 2011

Media placement: B2B - Attendance At Le Bourget Airshow, Paris - 20 June 2011

Media placement: Digital - Website, Social Media Engagement - 13 June 2011

Media placement: Internal Communications - Employee Events In UK, France, Germany, US And Other Key Markets, Intranet - July 2011



Summary of the Campaign

To position Airbus as the world’s leading aircraft manufacture, we developed a vision for how passengers would fly in the future. The Concept cabin achieved £21m+ (€25m+) coverage internationally and contributed to record orders.



The campaign began with one question: what will air transport look like in the year 2050?



In answer to that, Airbus created ‘The Future by Airbus’, a pioneering vision for the future of flight.



We worked with specialist engineers, designers and trend researchers at Airbus to create the Concept Cabin - a conceptualised aircraft interior of the future, featuring technological advances that illustrated eco-efficient flight from the perspective of the passenger of 2050.



The resulting concept was inspirational and innovative – inspired by nature and designed to protect it. The central theme was a bespoke cabin, customised to meet the needs of individual passengers of the future.



Airbus overtook competitor Boeing to lead positive media share of voice at a key period in the aviation calendar: The Paris Air Show, Le Bourget. The activity contributed to a record US$72.2bn worth of business orders totaling 730 aircraft. This success set a new record for any commercial aircraft manufacturer at any airshow.



The Situation

Airbus leads Boeing in sales but not in front of mind awareness. In 2010 we launched The Future by Airbus campaign to position the company as an industry thought leader. The campaign was launched with the Airbus Concept Plane, an 'engineer’s dream' bringing together game-changing technologies that are being explored to enable a step-change in performance and eco-efficiency in the future.



The award-winning campaign achieved major global impact on the eve of The Farnborough International Airshow, overshadowing Boeing’s inaugural flight of its new Dreamliner aircraft.



Our challenge for 2011: Be bigger, better and bolder than 2010!



The Goal

Airbus wanted to see a step-change in the media coverage generated for the brand. The campaign needed to demonstrate Airbus’ commitment to innovation and sustainability, have global impact, and reach a consumer (not just the aviation trade) audience.



The campaign also needed to position Airbus as a visionary leader in aviation, inspiring the general public about its future and to communicate ‘The Airbus Vision’ for a more connected and sustainable world.



Our target audiences were many and varied, including passengers, Airbus customers, airlines, suppliers, regulators, employees and their families, and future talent.



The Strategy

Building on the successful launch of the Airbus Concept Plane in 2010, we worked with specialist engineers and scientists at Airbus to create the Concept Cabin; a conceptualised aircraft interior of the future, featuring technological advances that illustrated eco-efficient flight from the perspective of the passenger of 2050.



The development of the Concept Cabin was based on predicted passenger trends of the future, such as changing demographics, body shapes and projected demands. It was also supported by a global piece of passenger research of 10,000 respondents, identifying future expectations and needs.



The resulting concept was inspirational and innovative – inspired by nature and designed to protect it. The central theme was a ‘bespoke cabin’, customised to the needs of individual passengers.



Execution

The Concept Cabin was launched internationally to 100+ global media on 13 June 2011 at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, 1 week before the Paris Air Show. Airbus introduced its vision of the future of flight with a 360 degree planetarium film. Airbus’ Global Head of Engineering toured all the major broadcast studios (UK and international) and MPs at Westminster were briefed on ‘The Future by Airbus’.



The key to the success of the launch was how it was visualised. We created a futuristic fly-through film of the cabin, a series of stylised photography shots of the interior and built an interactive iPad app to allow viewers to walk through the cabin. B-roll footage was developed for broadcast media showing comparable interior footage on Airbus aircraft today and interviews with spokespeople. All content was hosted on a newly created website, www.thefuturebyairbus.com.



Documented Results

The launch delivered a significant increase on media value and country reach from 2010.



• Global coverage increased by 433% (333 to 1,775) ;

• Number of countries in which coverage appeared increased by 114% from 27 to 58;

• AVE increased by 576% from £3,136,860 to £21,215,987;

• 10,000+ mentions of Airbus on social media on the day of launch;

• Film received over 500,00 hits on YouTube;

• App received over 17,000 downloads;

• The @Airbus Twitter feed has over 31,000 followers;

• The programme snowballed - over 75 FbA events across 27 cities in 16 countries in the 8 months following launch;

• Contribution towards a record US$72.2bn worth of orders totaling 730 aircraft.



Even 10 Downing Street hailed the Airbus Concept Cabin as an example of the quality that its own departments should aspire to when showcasing innovation in the UK during London 2012.