Qantas Executive Manager Marketing, Lewis Pullen

New Digital Advertising Campaign

Spirit of Australians

Qantas has launched the first chapter of its new advertising campaign; employing a modernised, digitally enhanced and Australian-focused approach.

‘You’re The Reason We Fly’ is the title of the new marketing campaign targeting Australian consumers and encouraging interactive, online involvement and digital advocacy.

Speaking at a press conference at Qantas headquarters in Sydney, Qantas executive manager marketing Lewis Pullen said the airline is more than ready to launch a new campaign.

“The research undertaken gave us a clear direction on where to go with this campaign,” he said.

“Our customers wanted to see us take a different and more creative approach... they wanted us to talk about the people, the spirit of Australians and not just the place.”

The core creative idea behind the new advertising strategy is based on simple brand truths according to Mr Pullen.

“We carry more Australians than any other airline, we’ve been doing it for longer than anybody else, the spirit of Australia is part of our DNA; it’s on our planes, it is our logo and we feel we know Australian’s better than anybody else.”

In support of the new campaign Qantas has added an ‘ns’ to the tag line livery of two of its aircraft, an Airbus A380 and a Boeing B737, which will now fly with the ‘Spirit of Australians’ emblazoned on the side of the plane.

Qantas has also invited its customers to be part of the conversation and part of the new campaign by having them upload their name and photo on the Qantas website, giving them the opportunity to become an element of the visual advertising.

“Over the next two weeks, we’re asking Australians to upload their photo and name via the Qantas website or by using a specially developed mobile phone or Facebook application,” Mr Pullen said.

"Those people will then have the chance to appear in the end frame of our new TV commercial or win the opportunity to have their name painted on the side of an A380 or B737 aircraft."

Applicants will have the chance to win a share of five lots of 500,000 frequent flyer points and Qantas will donate five dollars to Mission Australia for every photo uploaded.

“We feel this campaign is highly inclusive, interactive and engaging and incorporates some world firsts in the form of digital advertising," he added.

“We’ll actually serve up a personalised digital banner to every applicant and we are also developing technology which will recognise your involvement in the campaign by projecting your name and photo on our digital billboards if you have the app open when you walk past.”

The campaign will be rolled out over the course of the next five months, incorporating a number of print, digital, outdoor and TVC executions.