If you think sports sponsorship is just forking over a big cheque and setting up some well placed banners then you’d be right in most cases but not this one.
Emirates – an active sponsor in Australian sports – has this year taken its sponsorships to the next level to not only give its brand more exposure but offer sports fans the chance to really get hands on with the airline.
How you ask?
KarryOn was given the opportunity to see the airline in action last week during the Sydney APIA International and this is what they’ve been up to:
The airline had its usual decals hanging from the side of the court (see above) – prime positioning for match attendees AND for those watching at home.
But to really drive the Emirates brand, the carrier took four of its flight attendants off air duty and send them to the annual sporting event to mingle and snap pics with tennis fans. Who doesn’t love taking a photo with a gorgeous flight attendant?
That’s not all, the airline also gave the girls two Emirates branded signs to use in each picture.
Fans were then asked to post the picture up on social media, accompanied with the hashtag #EmiratesCheckIn to go in the running to win a ticket to the final tennis match. Product placement now taken from the court and onto thousands of social media pages.
On Instagram alone, the competition received 264 entries – each funnier than the next.
A spokesperson told KarryOn that the social media campaign was going really well and generating lots of interaction.
The carrier has this week taken the same expanded sponsorship over to Melbourne for the Australian Open, where Emirates is the Official Airline Partner for the second consecutive year.
Tennis fans have the chance to go in the draw to win a trip for two to Dubai, including five nights accommodation. To enter, people need to show Emirates their passion for tennis in a picture, post if to social media and include the hashtag #EmiratesCheckIn.
“We are proud to support players, and tennis fans globally, and we are looking forward to another first-class tennis season, and wish all tournament players the best of success.”
Barry Brown, Emirates Divisional Vice President
Meanwhile, Emirates is giving its Australian Open attendees a VIP experience with its Emirates Suite.
The exclusive space features a sleek custom-made bar, a “fresh” design and a wall highlighting the many destinations in the airline’s network.
The Suite menu will continuously change over the two weeks of the competition to offer guests dishes such as the ‘Filet Mignon, parsnip cream, glazed baby vegetables, olive ash and sugar chilli’, and ‘San Sebastian beef cheeks, butternut squash crush, Dutch carrots and green peppercorn sauce’.
The international inspired dishes are reflective of the cuisine which Emirates is serves on flights.