Air New Zealand adopts a goose

Air New Zealand adopts a goose

Find your most challenging customer and target them. That’s the approach Air New Zealand has taken in their latest marketing campaign.

Who doesn’t need to fly on a plane? A migratory goose, that’s who. And that is exactly who Air New Zealand have engaged in their irreverent new TVC to promote their international routes to Australians.

If you can get a goose to fly long-haul, the world will follow.

Dave the Goose is Air New Zealand’s newest ambassador, voiced by Australian acting stalwart Bryan Brown, who addressed the launch audience in Sydney.

It’s all part of the carrier’s bid to ambitiously be taken into the hearts and minds of Australians.

Only four out of ten Australians understand that the airline flies to points beyond New Zealand, Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon said.

“We see some big important growth opportunities in this marketplace,” Luxon said.

Their strategic ambition is a slice of the Australian long haul market. Namely, the traffic to North and South America.

Air New Zealand launched flights to Buenos Aires and Houston last year.

“We believe we can hub that traffic through Auckland incredibly efficiently,” Luxon said.

20% of passengers on the December 2015 launched Houston flight are Australian, while 40% of passengers on the Buenos Aires route are Australians.

“They are the smart Australians and they’ve worked it out without us needing to advertise and obviously from this moment forward we need to communicate to the rest of the Australian public,” Luxon said.

“Our ability to get noticed is due to a strong and irreverent marketing campaign. We don’t behave like any other airline, we do things differently,” Luxon said.

Next year the carrier will introduce wi-fi across all its services, domestic and international.

Air New Zealand has hired 20 new sales staff for the Australian market.

“We want to declare we think there’s a much better way for Australians to go to the Americas,” Luxon said.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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