Struggling to get Japanese to visit New Zealand because of low name recognition, Air New Zealand implemented a 1 month campaign in September. The objectives were to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the airline, as well as increasing the airline tickets sales. We set the target to young business-people.

To grab the heart of the audience, we focused on an idea to solve the problem that Japanese employees have, “to take a vacation,” and all the traditional perception surrounding the situation.

Hard-working Japanese are famous for hardly taking a vacation. The leave request form is the first problem. Then you need to humbly persuade your boss at work, which is very difficult for shy Japanese. So Air New Zealand, reached to a simple solution, the "‘Leave It to Us’ Request System." This innovative request system, linked with Facebook, creates a leave application customized to generate the most effective and positive response. The system appealed especially to shy young employees who have long given up in taking their vacations. Thousands of requests overflowed online, with their friend’s posts on their own SNS timeline, which itself as a PR, made the chance for employees to be reminded to take more vacations. Raising awareness of the airline, also conveying the profile and depth of the country, the campaign led to Japan scoring its best leave rate in over 6 years. (2014 Vacation Deprivation® study by Expedia)

"‘Leave It to Us’ Request System" – brewing perception change around vacation

"’Leave It to Us’ Request System," a simple and innovative request format that creates a leave application customized to generate the most effective and positive response, was made.

Within the microsite, the audience will choose their boss amongst their Facebook friends. Then simply check the date, where in New Zealand they want to go, and most importantly, match it to their boss’s personality. From more than 2000 patterns, the system automatically generates the most persuasive content just for their boss. Once submitted via Facebook messenger, the application is then automatically shared with friends and colleagues increasing the persuasion and creating even more leave applications. Bosses approved with joy through their off-duty but daily tool, Facebook.

This unique system appealed to shy young Japanese business-people, long given up the hope of taking a vacation, as well as their bosses by changing their traditional perception.

In one month term, the microsite scored 11,000 Likes. Thousands of requests overflowed online, increasing persuasion and generating even more leave applications. Normally reluctant bosses approved the vacation request with joy. Employees also had the chance to be reminded in taking vacations, through their friend’s posts on their SNS timeline. And in 2014, Japan scored its best leave rate in over 6 years. (2014 Vacation Deprivation® study by Expedia)

Raising awareness of Air New Zealand, conveying the profile and depth of the country, lead to great increase on sales 254% vs same time previous year.