Royal Brunei Airlines approached us to develop a campaign that would help launch their new fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the most technologically advanced aircraft out in the market today.

Big global carriers, with big budgets and over-the-top images of indulgence and excess, dominate the airline sector. Our challenge was to find a voice for RB, a small airline, while encapsulating RB’s brand personality.

We had to make a statement about the brand and the offer of a new passenger experience - without over-boasting. The message had to work across 13 diverse markets through advertising, trade fairs, social media and in-marketing activities to engage with consumers.

Boeing is quite often put at the forefront of airline campaigns. With the recent launch of the RB brand we needed to ensure the airline was not overshadowed by its better-known counterpart.

We coined the term ‘A Betterfly’ and brought it to life with butterfly imagery, which Brunei is known for. For the brand, the term is a pure statement of excellence in passenger experience and a ‘breath of fresh air’ in an over-the-top category – giving the brand a classic touch, while evoking RB’s soft and humble personality.

The Betterfly campaign exemplified the attributes of PR, as it creatively managed the brand’s reputation and consumer understanding of RB and its new offering.

Unlike advertising campaigns, Betterfly earned media through publications, televised interviews, social media and the airline industry – to name a few, while creating positive brand perception.

Betterfly was first implemented on 7 September 2013 in Brunei Darussalem and then rolled out to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London, Melbourne and other markets.

The print component of the campaign started with two 4-page wrap spreads and continued with four additional instalments, ending on 12 October 2013.

The catalyst for the campaign was print advertising and buzz worthy activities like the delivery of the first aircraft, maiden flight and social media driven events.

Passengers on each maiden flight were given Betterfly kits and other treats like an inflight violinist to create a better flying experience and create buzz.

The campaign continues to live today, though on a smaller scale.

The launch was featured in a variety of consumer/trade publications, blogs and online news wires across their entire network, including all local Bruneian publications.

Titles include Travel & Leisure, DestinAsia, BBC, Epoch Times, The Edge and Brunei Times – to name a few. Most of these publications used the term “Betterfly” on multiple occasions.

The term “Betterfly” is now widely associated with RB. It has become a rallying call for employees and consumers alike, indicating the level of service that is expected on both ends.

Passengers are starting to believe in RB and changing their preferences to include the airline as a top choice. “a few years ago…I would make RB my second preference… after seeing all the changes and the new direction it is heading”.

Since the implementation of Betterfly, RB has increased the number of Twitter followers by 21% and gaining Facebook likes at 3x their previous rate.