2012 Silver Best customer acquisition campaign

Client British Airways Executive Club

How did the campaign make a difference? Behavioural economics and the science of social proofing proved that the Executive Club is designed for all types of travellers. In six months, acquisition increased by 2.7%. This equates to £13m in potential incremental revenue and a campaign ROI of 25:1.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? In November 2011, British Airways relaunched its loyalty programme, the Executive Club, with a new positioning, product features and look. With this substantial investment it has a specific focus on acquisition during 2012. But research showed one big problem: less frequent travellers thought the Club was not for them. "The problem… is that I'm not a frequent flyer. I'll never fly enough to get anything out of it." As the audience had a unifying, sceptical barrier to joining, it was clear they couldn’t just be told to sign up; they needed to see the benefits that prove the Club’s designed precisely for people like them. In behavioural economics 'social proofing' says we instinctively follow the herd, making decisions on the basis of what those around us are doing, validating our choices. This led to the proposition ’Proof that the Executive Club is made for people like you’ with compelling statistics from Executive Club data to support how members benefit. It was possible to quantifiably demonstrate the tangible benefits and show customers just what they were missing.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? Existing members were invited to participate in this global acquisition campaign by submitting a recent photograph along with the reason they joined the Club. Over 50,000 submissions from all over the world came in. Their photographs were tiled into striking mosaic images relating to Executive Club benefits. The ‘member mosaics‘ were paired with data insights. For example, a mosaic view from a plane window paired with the fact that over 405,000 members can reserve their favourite seat seven days in advance. Messaging was tailored to specific channels and in-journey touch-points. Email, airport posters, leaflets, digital posters, digital display and on-board media all drove prospects to a landing page on ba.com. This held a member mosaic map of the world: each photo expands to reveal that member’s reason for joining.

Results Acquisition increased in the first six months by 2.7% versus the same period last year - an additional 17,745 members. As a new member’s average spend in their first year is £774, this constitutes the potential to generate £13.7 million incremental revenue.

Team Emma de la Fosse, Charlie Wilson, Laila Milborrow, Paul Pearson, Claire Middleton, Andrew Boggs, Clayton Gray, John Thompson

Other contributors eDialog – Email build and deployment