Korean Air has teamed up with Tourism Australia for an innovative, refreshing, nature-infused advertising campaign intended to coin Australia as the premier travel destination for younger Koreans. More importantly, the campaign celebrates 20 years of Korean Air’s service to Australia, which is definitely something to write home about.
According to Korean Air, “A crew of over 25 people invested more than 2 weeks to produce the ads spotlighting Australia as an exciting destination for the 20-30 age group. The Korean Air produced TV ads highlight the unique environment and breathtaking beauty of the land that is affectionately called ‘Down Under’.” (commercials are shown below)
Marketing Critique
I have watched the television commercials and, though I am a critical pain in the butt, I admit that I like them; I like them a lot. They truly capture what Australia is all about and take you from your computer/tv to another world down under.
The big question is: Does this $2.5 million advertising campaign capitalize on the investment by properly utilizing online channels in addition to print and television? My answer is no.
Korean Air’s official press release stated that they want to target Koreans in the 20-30 age range and, if this is the case, failing to market online — or effectively market online — is a big downfall. To target this demographic, I would have allocated more marketing dollars for online marketing including: social networking, social bookmarking, viral videos, SEO, blogging, etc.
YouTube Channel
Korean Air has posted the above-mentioned television commercials on their YouTube channel, but I am disappointed to see that they’re receiving little to no attention. I love the videos and with a little social bookmarking and blogging they could have 50,000+ views.
I feel their YouTube channel is in need of a major design revision. The tiled background logo and monotone color scheme isn’t catchy enough. How about a nice photo of the Barrier Reef or something to celebrate Australia? Catchy ideas… You must have these in the social media world to set yourself aside from the crowd.
Social Networking
Korean Air is strategically utilizing a Facebook fan page to attract a social following, which is a very good step. Surprisingly, more than $A3 million ($2.5 million U.S. dollars) is being spent on the advertising campaign but the Facebook fan page is receiving limited results. I was expecting a decent amount of fans, but only 124 are present. Where oh where can the little fans be? I feel that any multi-million dollar campaign should allocate a small portion (at the very least) to gain increased online exposure.
Please find a few of the Korean Air Australia commercials below.
I hope this article has been helpful to all of you marketers and advertising executives out there. ::high five::
Sincerely,
Aaron Schoenberger
The Brainchild Group
The Brainchild Group is a top advertising agency that is known for forward-thinking social media and SEO strategies that are based on over 10 years of research and implementation.
Great Barrier Reef
Sydney, Australia
Kangaroos
Hang Gliding