The "China Experience" product was a tour package developed by Cathay Pacific and an external tour operator which offered passengers custom itineraries in China. The product was discontinued for a few years.
Because planning a trip to China can be very intimidating, we wanted to re-launch the "China Experience" platform to position Cathay Pacific as the experts of China. The objective was to leverage the platform as a hub for all China-related destination content.
To kick off the China Experience re-launch, we hosted a socially driven contest with the #mychinaexperience, and asked for User Generated content to help push our hashtag.
Through photos and videos, the goal of the submissions was to build out authentic content for travelers intending to visit China.
The general feedback we receive from our travelers was that planning a trip to China can be very intimidating. Therefore, to make the experience of China more inviting, we re-launched the Cathay Pacific China Experience to position us as the experts of China. Additionally, we strategically used user generated content of actual travelers to create content that will help to de-mystify people's notions of this fascinating country. Following the overwhelming popularity of a photo contest we held by the same name in November 2014, we knew that leveraging social media was best way to show case videos and pictures that could really tell the story of what it's like to travel to China.
We developed a multi-layered digital and online campaign to inspire and celebrate the diversity of travel in China which became Cathay Pacific 's first US campaign centered around travel to mainland China. Hoping to engage, inspire wanderlust and introduce intrepid travelers to the many wonders of China, Cathay Pacific teamed up with Passion Passport and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to kick off the first phase of the campaign.
Travelers were prompted to contemplate how they want to experience China; and then invited to submit their personal inspiring photos for a chance to win trip of a lifetime. The winner of the contest then embarked on a 10-day adventure in China visiting up to three cities of their choice.
Entrants had to post an Instagram photo/video that shows their inspiration to travel to China and include the hashtag #MyChinaExperience. Posts had to include a caption detailing what the entrant found personally memorable or significant about the photo/video, explaining where they were and how the experience inspired them. Entries were reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of three travel experts. A winner was selected, as well as honorable mentions and were announced on the Passion Passport website as well as their Instagram channel
We relied on Social media (Instagram) to call out to our followers to submit their photo and enter the competition. Additionally, we leveraged our partnerships with Passion Passport and Shangri-La hotels and resorts, to help amplify the message and gain additional followers and participants.
The winner was announced on all social media platforms and our partner's pages. The winner then took their 10-day trip, which was documented with pictures and video that were shared online to continue buzz around the campaign. The takeaway for us was a beautifully documented adventure through Hong Kong and China that included stunning images of the city's landscapes, locals and culture. The trip was catalogued using the hashtag #mychinaexperience.
Additionally, the entire trip was summed up in a blog post on the Passion Passport website.
Following the overwhelming popularity of the initial campaign, we just launched the 3rd phase a #MYCHINAEXPERIENCE TUMBLR BLOG
1. During the 2 week Instagram challenge, Cathay Pacific Instagram account has grown 8% Pre-Challenge: 79,856 Post-Challenge: 86,304 New Followers: 6,448 Hashtag mychinaexperience tags Entries to date: 2,129
2. Metrics for Overall Campaign: Campaign Posts: 1342 Total Engagements: 262,546 Total Impressions: 9,500,000
3. The campaign exceeded expectations and we learned that there was a need for a travel blog for China content which we just launched 9 Feb 2016
4. Pictures from our winner Kevin Mao, have been selected to be featured in the Apple World Gallery
