Flight attendants scored a GOAL with their “safety demonstration”: Who knew they had mad football skills?! [Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]
Played and watched by more than half of the global population, football is a sport that has captured the hearts of so many people.
It’s considered a global sporting spectacle and has been heavily used as a marketing strategy to promote numerous brands for decades!
How?
This brand can show us.
EMIRATES
| – | A Dubai-based airline that is not only one of the world’s most prestigious, but is also a sponsor to some of the world’s biggest and most successful football teams. |
- 18-time Serie A Champions A.C. Milan
- 13-time F.A. Cup Winners Arsenal F.C.
- 13-time UEFA Champions League Winners Real Madrid F.C.
- 44-time Super League Greece Champions Olympiacos F.C.
- 6-time German Champions Hamburger S.V.
- 37-time Primeira Liga Champions S.L. Benfica
These football clubs are some of the world’s elite, which fits Emirates’ identity and commitment to being one of the top airlines globally.
Emirates’ sponsorships range from having their brand logo on team shirts to owning the naming rights (an agreement where a brand or company can rename a sporting venue) to the stadiums!
This exposure has helped the brand become highly-recognized internationally, allowing it to secure a spot in the top 300 most valuable brands in the world in 2020.
To boost brand awareness even more, Emirates created unique marketing campaigns and stunts!
This particular one would be remembered even years after.
The start of S.L. Benfica’s football match in Lisbon in 2015…
Fans were excitedly waiting for the match to start.
A group of flight attendants dressed in Emirates uniforms walked towards the center of the field.
Then, a voice in the PA system tells the crowd:
“Emirates welcomes you aboard Estadio Da Luz.”
What’s this?
Are the fans going to witness a “safety demonstration?” In a stadium?
Of course! Why else would a team of flight attendants stand in attention at the center of a field, right?
And just like when you’re aboard an aircraft, the voice continues to say…
“This stadium has 32 doors, 65,000 fans, and 2 goals.”
“The match time will be 90 minutes, with a pause of 15 minutes at the 45-minute mark.”
“We are now preparing for the Benfica players to enter the pitch.”
“We ask you to put your bags securely at your feet, so you can concentrate on giving your team the ultimate cheer they deserve.”
“Now, we request your full attention to the scarf instructions.”
“Place your scarf over your shoulders in sign of ‘benfiquism’ and keep it close to you throughout the game.”
“In the event of a goal, scarves will automatically appear from above you. Place your scarf over your head and breathe normally. ”
“Fans with children must assume the embracing position at this point.”
“The match is about to begin. Emirates would like to thank you for your preference and wish you a pleasant match.”
Fans ROARED in approval.
Each clever line and gesture made the fans even more excited.
Each football reference sneaked into the “safety demonstration” hyped fans even more.
By the end of the presentation, passions for their team and for football ran high!
What a great way to boost morale!
This guerrilla marketing campaign is one of Emirates’ efforts to promote their brand to an entirely different audience: sports fans!
The GOAL: Intense BRAND RECALL
Promoting an airline to thousands of football fans in a football stadium can be challenging. Emirates was able to do this seamlessly by finding a way to connect with them.
Football reminders in an airline safety demonstration format = GENIUS!
— Definitely something football fans there that day would always remember.
Emirates stayed true to its brand identity while keeping in mind what gets their target audience excited.
It was such a hit that they did an encore of this stunt in Hamburger S.V.’s football match.
This time, flight attendants were not only giving safety instructions, but also showed off some of their football skills!
Both campaigns scored points for Emirates…
Or in football talk, both campaigns were a GOOOOAAALLL!
The worldwide results from the first campaign:
- 50 million fans reached
- 24 million views across social media and streaming platforms
- 930,000 interactions
- 300,000 shares
- 2016 Clio Gold Award – Sports Category
2015 was also a strong year for Emirates, having flown over 49,292 passengers!
- 2014 – 44,537
- 2013 – 39,391
Emirates’ guerrilla marketing campaign is a great example of how you can promote your brand to an entirely different audience and expand your reach.
You might be used to creating campaigns for your ideal target market so doing something new might scare you.
How do you pull it off?
Discover what the new group’s insight is. What makes them happy, excited, or shocked? How can you get the reaction you want from them?
With the proper research and brainstorming, you’ll see how you can relate and engage with them.
It might be unconventional to go for a different target, but with the right plan of action and creativity, you could reap rewards far beyond what you’d get sticking to the conventional.
Guerrilla marketing is all about finding unique ways to promote your brand to different people. You can be as creative as you want.
The goal is to leave a lasting impression.
You can generate a good amount of buzz and hype in the process. Aren’t those the results we aim for?
If you’re planning to create a guerrilla marketing campaign, don’t be afraid to take risks to find new ways to promote your brand to diverse groups of people!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers, and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing is inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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