Gone are the times when international commercials & marketing giants used to attract the purpose crowd through attracting supermodels, displaying exotic background with luxurious and economical setups on various digital platforms, giant banners, posters and all others available.
With the onset of the era of globalization that revolutionized the connectivity, foreign exchange of intellectuals & substantial growth, the opportunities are genuinely attracting a large section of society to move abroad, explore, nurture & groom themselves. But looking at the grey side various researchers revealed that along with excitement, there always persist the duo feelings of anxiety & uncertainty of what might await them back at home. The fast-moving world, work pressure & tech-savvy lifestyle is leading to the communication gap & hence dissipating love & compassion in the relationship.
Considering this, the British Airways came up with an excellent marketing strategy with the motto “to fly to serve”, trying to engage the Indian expatriates in the “welcome of home” campaign. Penetrating the emotional quotient and rationally connecting to India’s digitally aware population, BA acts as a catalyst of unforgettable experiences. Its “welcome of home” ad chronicles the journey of an Indian to her home back to India and channels the emotional values of home, relationship, love, solace, joy & many more, with their heart-touching short story.
There are over 4 million Indian expatriates residing in the US, Canada, and UK, majority of who are frequent visitors to their families in India on festivals & special occasions. The potential crowd has always felt an uncertain count of DLTGH (Days Left To Go Home) factor. The BA ads & market strategies provide a chance to spend quality time with special ones & also it uses digital platforms like Instagram, Facebook to conduct quizzes and offer attractive hampers & packages back to home & abroad trips with family.
“Welcome of home” campaign features an emotional story of a working lady, Chitra who plans to visit her grandma by taking out time from her hectic professional life and feel the homely comfort. As she is preparing to leave for the airport, she gets emotional about what all moments she missed and how many days she had been away from home, with a chilling thought of it being the last time she would see her Grandma.
But the moment she boards the flight, she receives a warm welcome from the crew which made her feel the essence of Indian aura and lets her forget all her worries. She starts recalling the joyful moments about meeting her family, bringing smile on her face as she now starts looking at the positive side of her visit with her fiancée by her side.
BA makes every mile count with warm gestures, “BA doesn’t just fly people, but connect them with relationships that matter most” said Victoria Long, Americas’ marketing manager, British Airways.
Reuniting with closed ones is an emotional aspect of Indian culture and BA strives to give their customers a little more than just an emotional feel which includes surprise hamper of their family visit packages. They make you feel the essence of your soil the moment you board the flight.
With its campaigns, BA aims to reach out and touch the emotional aspect of Indians longing for their homeland and tries to brighten up their feelings during the journey. Simply slicing the life stories of people into slow-motion clips with beautiful chaos that lies in the streets of India, BA delivered a message that reached million of hearts where it not only focuses on flying but tries to stand to uphold the cultures and emotions of India. This warm gesture of BA helped the brand earn the trust of people and create its place in 2nd largest potential market i.e. Indian continent.
-Pooja Priyadarshini
pooja.priyadarshini@northpointindia.com