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Rebuilding Trust in Malaysia Airlines

The Challenge

After the 2014 tragedies of MH370 and MH17, we had the massive challenge of rebuilding trust in Malaysia Airlines. The airline couldn’t be seen to be engaging in costly marketing campaigns at the expense of consideration for the victims and their families, and a company restructure meant the impending loss of thousands of jobs.

The Solution

The communications strategy was encapsulated in one word: advocacy. We filled an information void with constant updates, strategic interviews, behind-the-scenes tours and a stream of positive news, and encouraged respected experts, travel trade and Government officials and media outlets to champion the brand. We secured Malaysia-connected celebrities as airline partners – TV cook/presenter, Poh Ling Yeow, and tennis star, Nick Kyrgios, whose mother is proudly Malaysian, and leveraged their involvement through creative, integrated campaigns spanning multiple touch points.

At the same time, issues were managed in a proactive fashion to limit their effect on our positive outreach.

The Results

Passenger numbers 7.8% ahead of what they were immediately prior to MH370’s disappearance
700 positive pieces of TV, print and digital coverage reaching 70M pairs of eyes
800K + video views on YouTube and social
150+ positive social posts by media and ambassadors

Categories

Aviation, travel and tourism
Issues and crisis management
Consumer marketing
Trade relations
Stakeholder management
Content creation and marketing
Ambassadors
Advocacy
Media relations
Influencer relations
Integrated campaigns

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