Flying can feel tedious. Finding flights, packing, making your way through TSA… the list goes on. But it doesn’t need to feel that way. That’s why Spirit set out to grow an influencer partner network to show local markets how fun flying can be. As a low-cost carrier, budgets aren’t always limitless. That’s why when our goal was formed to double contracted influencers, we decided to get creative with our efforts.
Objective: Increase positive awareness of Spirit in new and existing markets, by growing influencer partners 100%.
From the start, we set out to have each brand partner tell their own story. Is their family Disney-obsessed? We craft a campaign that gets them to the Mickey capital of the world. Are they a couple passionate about discovering historical landmarks? We adapt an announcement to promote routes while also showing their journey to discover the hidden mysteries that lie within Albuquerque.
While each influencer received a short list of key messages and creative targets to consider, every campaign offered influencers the creative freedom to show what a trip with Spirit looks like to them. Their key messages would always serve back to primary business initiatives, such as promoting new routes to their hometown audiences or growing awareness of loyalty. The rest of the imagery and messaging offered each partner flexibility to show their voice and passion points.
This also gave the planning team flexibility on budgeting. By providing the resources to travel their way on their schedule and incorporate the campaign into their normal lives, many partners were willing to accommodate trade offerings to match their rate sheets. The trade accommodations often include high-value options such as flight vouchers, upgrades and loyalty point options. This flexibility in trade provisions gave our partners the ability to continue benefitting from their partnership even after their work trip was complete.
By the end of the year, we partnered with 41 total influencers across 13 different destinations in the U.S., Latin America and Caribbean. This was a diverse set of influencers, all with their own story to tell. For our destinations, we covered cities coast to coast, whether it was a new route to promote, an existing route with low awareness, or a major hub for Spirit that deserved some extra love.
Objective: Increase positive awareness of Spirit in new and existing markets, by growing influencer partners 100%.
Result: Grew total contracted influencers 173% from previous year, exceeding the target by 73%.
Additional Results: Developed 248% more content for brand usage from previous year, all framed with the voice of the end user (our Guests).
Working on a shoestring budget isn’t always perfect. There’s always give and take when showing value to potential influencer partners. But we learned that by providing the tools needed to create content and giving them creative freedom to interpret their prompt was often far more valuable than what precise content storyboarding would have ever cost. Not to mention, their followers appreciated it too.
