Aeroplan‘s recent announcement that its multi-million-dollar branding, design, sponsorship, advertising and media account would now be handled by Cossette is a step towards a more “effective and efficient” communication strategy for the brand.
The Montreal-based loyalty marketing program was previously using a multi-agency approach–Sid Lee had been Aeroplan’s brand agency of record, while Twist Image in Montreal had the bulk of the digital duties and Toronto’s RAPP Collins handled direct marketing.
David Klein, Aeroplan’s vice-president of marketing, said the move from three agencies to one reflected the brand’s increasing need for message consistency, due largely to the fact that Aeroplan is a lot more than the simple Air Canada frequent flyer program it began as in 1984.
“The last five to seven years has seen growth into the general loyalty space,” said Klein. “With the number of touch points that are open to us, whether in the digital space or through our expansion of partners, we’re talking to members in many different ways. That has a profound influence on the need to maintain a more consistent view across all the various channels.”
The agency review process began in the spring, but Klein said that instead of asking agencies to pitch creative ideas, Aeroplan was “more interested in seeing the agencies’ capabilities in the work they did for current clients than making them jump through hoops for us. We wanted to learn about them.”
Aeroplan developed a list of agencies, then asked for credentials and relevant case studies before settling on a short list.
“The last stage was spending time with each agency in their office, to get a sense if it had the right chemistry, culture and fit for the two companies,” said Klein. “At that stage, you know everyone can dance, it’s just a question of who you want to spend the whole night with. Cossette really demonstrated that under one roof they have all the disciplines and capabilities that we need.”
Terms of the deal are still being finalized, but Klein jokingly said he’d be happy to see a 30-year deal. Realistically, Klein confirmed it will be a multi-year agreement because Aeroplan is not a simple business and the brand wants to invest in a “long-term, deep relationship” with an agency that knows the brand and its members well and can effectively communicate across all available channels.
“It’s less about the length of the contract and more about the success of the relationship, and I hope this is a long, successful relationship,” he said.
Earlier this year, Aeroplan launched its first brand campaign since 2006 to rejoin the conversation among consumers, Klein said, adding the move to Cossette for a more consistent approach aims to ensure the brand is as “efficient and effective across all those touch points as we need to be.”
