Oman Air's Business Class seat Facebook campaign

Wayne Pearce, chief executive officer of Oman Air, said: “Social media offers Oman Air the opportunity to engage with our customers and the world at large in a more personal, informal and often more effective way. As an airline that is built around the renowned and ancient Omani tradition of warm hospitality, we take pride in building lasting relationships with air travellers and this campaign has helped us strengthen links with today’s customers, and those of tomorrow.”
 
Mohammed Mubarak Al Shikely, general manager marketing of Oman Air, adds:
“Facebook is a great way to communicate with customers, but to do this effectively and keep our audience engaged, we need to make it both informative and fun.
 
“This initiative enabled both Oman Air’s fans and others to interact with our Business Class seat in a fun way on our Facebook page. The aim is to build and sustain strong relationships between Oman Air and our air travellers around the world.” 
 
The first phase of the campaign saw Oman Air post a picture of the Business Class seat character on the airline’s international Facebook page. The picture featured the seat inviting its fans to suggest a name for it. The winner will win one Business Class ticket to any destination within the Oman Air route network.
 
In the second phase of the campaign, users will be able to make the seat smile with a click of their mouse, and send it on a holiday to the Sultanate of Oman, where it will continue to explore the country. Every participant will also be offered the opportunity to win a Business Class ticket to Oman and personally test the comfort of the seat.
 
By engaging Facebook users in this interactive campaign and sending the seat on its digital journey, Oman Air also aims to increase awareness and understanding of Oman as a unique and awe-inspiring destination.
 
The campaign was created by Oman Air’s German PR agency, Munich-based C.O.M.B.O. Communications, in cooperation with Oman Air´s digital solutions agency Havas Worldwide, based in Muscat. The artwork was produced by art director Mathias Vetterlein, from the longsunday design studio in Munich.
 
In order to boost the social media campaign, Oman Air plans to use a variety of channels, including pro-actively addressing travel-bloggers and partners within and beyond the tourism industry who can help raise awareness of the promotion by using their own Facebook profiles and external links.
 
“This campaign is a key part of our digital marketing strategy for 2013, which aims to give our social media presence a more personal feel”, adds Al Shikely.
 
“Within this people-focused framework, we are going to place increased emphasis on the individuals and faces behind the company, as well as strengthening relationships with bloggers around the world.”