We were tasked by Royal Brunei Airlines to promote the 2018 launch of a non-stop route between London Heathrow and Brunei.
The launch was not only the first time the two nations had been connected directly by air but also made Royal Brunei a stronger competitor in the UK-Australia marketplace, offering a single stop to Melbourne.
Our brief included raising awareness of Royal Brunei Airlines and the new route to UK travellers, demonstrating the airline’s service enhancements to key stakeholders and positioning the one-stop flight to Melbourne as an attractive option for people looking to travel to Australia.
We decided a key strategy in engaging the UK media was creating a sense of celebration, which we achieved through a series of activities, including inviting top national travel journalists to see Melbourne’s Kylie Minogue in concert at London’s O2.
For the inaugural flight on October 28 we were on-site from 5am and worked closely with Heathrow Airport to arrange a YouTube video, photography, interviews with pilots, crew and passengers, branded displays and celebratory treats for passengers. The next day, we organised a VIP launch event at London’s iconic Gherkin building, attended by Royal Brunei’s leadership team, stakeholders, customers and media.
We arranged one-to-one meetings for Karam Chand, CEO of Royal Brunei Airlines, with Flight International, Business Travel News, TTG, Buying Business Travel and Selling Travel.
8020 provided full project management, working with partners, suppliers and venues to ensure all activities ran successfully and effectively told the Royal Brunei story.
Royal Brunei Airlines enjoyed a high level of media and stakeholder engagement during the launch phase.
Numerous VIP stakeholders attended the launch events for the new route, demonstrating the importance of the connection for UK relations with Brunei and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
And over a two-month period, we generated 33 pieces of media coverage with an online readership of 23.6m.
