Why Coming Home Was the Inspiration for This Airline Loyalty Ad
Didi Han is a Paris-based, Seoul-born producer and DJ. That’s a cool combination of words, isn’t it? She’s also the subject of a beautiful video-portrait that serves as the latest brand film for Flying Blue, the loyalty programme of Air France-KLM group. And she’s the perfect fit for it.
The ‘Shaped by Travel’ campaign, created by Dentsu Creative France, focuses on the heart of the programme’s brand promise: helping its 20 million members discover ‘purposeful travel’ through authentic, inspiring stories, like Didi’s. In the film she explores her relationship with Seoul and how travel to other parts of the world enriches that connection, allowing her to rediscover her hometown with a fresh perspective.
LBB’s Alex Reeves speaks to Benoît Bertrand, chief strategy officer and deputy general manager, and Emmanuel Bougneres, chief creative officer, to find out how this poetic campaign came into existence.
LBB> For those unfamiliar with it, what is Flying Blue and what was the context of where the brand sat when you first began this campaign?
Benoit> Flying Blue is Air France-KLM Group's loyalty programme. Created in 2005, it gives more than 20 million members worldwide access to a multitude of rewards and benefits, by accumulating air miles which they can spend with a wide selection of airline and commercial partners. Through this program, Flying Blue supports its members at every stage of their journey, whatever their changing needs. ‘Enjoy every Mile of your journey’ is the film tagline, but it is above all an ambition that the programme places in every interaction with members: stories, products and experiences.
LBB> What was the brief from the client and what were your first thoughts as an agency about where you wanted to take that idea?
Benoit> The first component of the brief was to strengthen the emotional link to the brand. The second component was to show all the things that the programme does for its members, the key features, such as the use of Miles, the role of the programme in their daily lives and the opportunities to donate to charities. First thoughts? Covid had a spectacular impact on this industry. It's clear that there was a major setback, but we also saw a very strong recovery, with changes in behaviour. New expectations, too. A desire for more purposeful travel, there was an opportunity to tell the story of members' travel experiences in this pivotal time, to tell stories that were never really told.
Emmanuel> Our creative approach was based on studies showing the impact of travel on people’s personal development. We discovered there was a huge list of benefits such as intellectual development and social connection. To sum up, studies show that travel is important for human happiness.
LBB> Why did you decide to focus on the way travel affects your experience at home? It feels very true to me.
Emmanuel> It’s clear that travel has a lot of benefits, and challenging ourselves with new experiences in new places helps us see things differently.
And this changed perspective is most obvious when we are back home.
It’s this phase of reconnection with ourselves we wanted to focus on.
Benoit> What you say is very true, Emmanuel. And strategically there's also a dimension to the creative idea that really interested me, which was to be able to put the emphasis on that usually unloved, even forgotten, part of travel stories: the return. Somehow with this campaign, we start where almost everyone else stops, and from a category perspective, I find that very new and refreshing.
LBB> Why was Didi Han the right person for this? What was she like to work with?
Emmanuel> Didi’s personal story resonates with all of us who have lived, worked or travelled abroad. Born and raised in Seoul, Didi majored in art and textile design before moving into the music industry. She now lives in Paris and travels the world to perform.
Authenticity was our main ingredient for the campaign, and we thought an up-and-coming profile of a world traveller like Didi Han was a perfect fit.
Benoit> I also think that there is a fundamental trend towards immersion in very unique cultures. The irresistible rise of Korean cultural influence is emblematic of this. Working with Didi Han was an opportunity to tell a very singular, and at the same time, very universal narrative. It's the story of one member in particular, but one in which many others will recognise themselves. Steinbeck wrote, "A great lasting story is about everyone, or it will not last", didn't he? [Editor’s note: Yes, we googled it.]
LBB> What are the most memorable moments of creating this campaign?
Emmanuel> Well, there were a few, but I’d say our first call with our film director, Jan Gleie. It was an inspiring discussion and a great start to the campaign.
Another one was Didi’s reaction when we shared the idea with her. We were touched by her enthusiasm and positive attitude from that point forward.
And of course, the pace and excitement of the film shoot were incredibly unique. We were able to explore Seoul’s vast vibrancy through the lens of a local.
One more thing: trying to find the switch to turn off the light in my hotel room in Seoul was a moment. It took me at least 15 minutes to figure out where it was!
LBB> Now it's live, how do you hope to see people react to 'Shaped by Travel'?
Emmanuel> We hope people will see travel as the building blocks that help shape all of us, and that they get excited about Flying Blue’s next chapter too!
Benoit> I really hope that members will recognise themselves in this story: Didi's behaviour when she gets on the plane, a certain frequent flyer routine, that special feeling when you return home, the reconnection with your loved ones after a long journey, the slightly different way in which you look at your daily life. We wanted an honest, authentic campaign. We tried to show the place of the programme without advertising emphasis, in a fairly direct, almost documentary way. If it makes them want to enjoy the programme even more, so much the better!
