Objectives

The goal of this campaign was to transport New Yorkers to different parts of Asia through the myriad lens of food Manhattan has to offer.

We specifically partner with brands and restaurants that have cult social followings who can help amplify our message and inspire people to take a trip to Asia.

The main objectives were:

• Highlight Cathay Pacific's extensive network in Asia
• Promote our 5 daily flights from NYC to Hong Kong and Asia
• Amplify brand awareness in New York DMA
• Create an interactive social dialogue with adventurous foodies in New York City
• Build relationship with influencers in the local market
• Inspire people to travel to Asia
• Diversify our customer base towards a younger demographic

Strategy and Execution

Cathay Pacific's #BoardingPassToAsia campaign goes beyond inspiring travelers to entertain their wanderlust. It connects them to their dream destinations through flavorful culinary experiences - not your average sit down dinner.

A series of five experiences was celebrated across highly celebrated and sought-after restaurants in NYC, each highlighting a destination we fly to in Asia: Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Beijing. It also symbolized our daily flight frequency between NY and Hong Kong.

Guests indulged in food and drinks from a thoughtfully curated menu, immediately transporting them to the chosen destination via senses of smell and taste.

The interiors of restaurants were also adorned with playful collateral sharing unique fun facts of the airline.

By partnering with The Infatuation and LuckyRice to amplify our voice to their devoted social followings, we are able to reach an entirely new and younger audience, who is not just adventurous with food but also with travels.

We unveiled these events a week in advance to influencers, foodie communities and our customers in order to build excitement and anticipation.

Subsequently, people became familiar and interested in Cathay Pacific and our Asia network.

Culinary Experiences

• 5 dinners at Asian restaurants in NYC represent our destinations
• Restaurant were chosen based on their popularity and exclusivity, including:

Tim Ho Wan ( Dim Sum in Hong Kong)

Madame Vo ( Vietnamese appetizers)

Chomp Chomp (Singaporean Hawker food)

Mr Bings (Beijing pancakes)

Thai Villa (Royal Thai Cuisine)

• Menus are curated by chefs to highlight authenticity of each cuisine
• Restaurants were also decorated to showcase Cathay Pacific's inflight experience.
• Guests were met and greeted by our cabin crew as if they were getting onboard
• Custom boarding pass tickets, passports and placemats were set on tables to highlight unique facts about Cathay Pacific

Social Media

- A week before each event, invitations were posted on all social media channels, (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) enticing our audiences to win a spot at the table.

- Subsequent posts (including Snapchat) showcased event recaps and teaser for upcoming events.

- Attendees are encouraged to post and share their experiences via hashtag throughout the event.

- Custom invites were extended to high tier food, fashion and travel influencers in NYC

Newsletter

• Event invitations sent out to promote event
• Custom thank you emails were sent to guests, encouraging them to follow the series
• Exclusive flight discounts were sent post event

Giveaway

• Each event included a chance to win flights to destination highlighted that evening

Display

• Display banners were posted on TheInfatuation.com website to promote the series

Videos

• Wrap up videos post event to share amongst attendees and on social media channels

Results

• Over the course of 5 events, we generated over 39.5 Million social impressions
• 426 tastemakers and guests people attended our events
• Gained over 8,873 new email leads for the NY market
• Expanded our Influencer connections by 160 contacts for future collaborative opportunities
• Guests came away with a positive authentic connection with our brand and built a strong desire to travel on Cathay Pacific to Asia

Media

Video for Cathay Pacific "Boarding Pass to Asia" Experiences