FlightNetwork.com says it is ready for takeoff.
The online travel service has partnered with Toronto agency Leo Burnett on a comprehensive rebrand that includes a new logo, tag line (“Search No Further”) and a new feature called the Price Drop Protection program that credits customers if the price of a trip goes down after they have already purchased.
Although it is currently Canada’s second biggest online travel company behind Expedia.ca – with a market share of approximately 6% – chief marketing officer Gail Rivett admits that the company is “not as well known as we should be.”
Rivett, formerly vice-president of consumer marketing and interactive at Astral Media, joined the company in October with a mandate to develop and grow the brand.
She said that the “Search No Further” positioning arose out of conversations with Flight Network customers and other online travelers, who indicated that one of the worst aspects of booking trips online is searching and comparing prices from multiple sources.
“One of the most resounding statements is that there’s so much information and it’s a frustrating experience of compare, compare, compare,” said Rivett. “[The positioning] is a combination of people wanting the best selection and wanting to feel they’re getting the best pricing and a good experience.”
The rebranding is being supported by a comprehensive national ad campaign that includes ads in major market dailies, 30-second radio spots, billboards, home page takeovers on sites including Yahoo.ca, TripAdvisor.ca and MSN.ca, as well as a Facebook contest aimed at its 51,000 fans.
The company is also planning an undisclosed marketing stunt that will take place in Toronto at the mid-point of the four-week campaign, which broke last week.
The ads target what Rivett describes as “smart spenders,” adults 25-54 with slightly above average household income who like to indulge but also want to be fiscally responsible.
The out-of-home ads resemble a boarding pass and feature simple messages such as “There’s always that guy who paid less for his flight. Be that guy” and “If your flight gets cheaper, you get richer.”
A series of radio ads, meanwhile, demonstrate how customers were able to use the money they saved by booking with Flight Network. One spot indicates how “Jen and Julie” saved enough on their flight to Paris to purchase “matching raspberry berets, a ticket to Nice, a quick mime lesson and croissants so good it made them, well, weep.”
Media for the campaign was handled by Vizeum.
