Gspot by Grey

Effie Worldwide Gold, Sustained Success, North America Effies 2010

http://www.effie.org

Frontier Airlines – A whole different animal

Category: Sustained Success

Brand/Client: Frontier Airlines

Primary Agency: Grey NYC

Campaign video: Frontier Airlines

STRATEGIC CHALLENGE

Finding a Brand Identity for an Unknown Airline

In 2002, after less than 10 years in operation – Frontier Airlines was a brand without an established identity – a company without a cohesive purpose. They were said to be Denver’s hometown airline, yet only two of five people in Denver knew who they were. Consumer perceptions of the brand were shaky at best. Frontier was basically viewed as a last resort carrier, accommodating United Airlines’ spill-over traffic. Most consumers believed that Frontier had rickety, old planes and limited service only to the West. The lack of a consistent brand identity and loyal passenger base was stunting growth. Frontier’s only option for survival would be to take a radically different approach and truly commit to building a brand. But how do you really take a radically different approach in an industry so full of empty promises?

The Obstacle Course

• Successfully creating a brand identity in a post-9/11 world where airlines fall victim to unforeseen obstacles and the continual consumer demand for reassurance.
• Bullet proofing a brand against big brands, big budgets, and new threats:
  • In 2003, United Airlines, the second largest airline in the world, owned a dominate 54% of the Denver market share versus Frontier’s small 11%.
  • Later in 2003, United stepped it up by launching Ted, their very own version of a low-cost airline, specifically designed to attack Frontier’s stronghold in Denver. They flew the same routes, and attempted to stake claim over Frontier’s hometown airline title.
  • In 2006, Southwest, the nation’s leading low-cost carrier, known for their rock bottom fares, entered the Denver market with aggressive expansion plans that aimed to wipe out Frontier all together
  • Both United and Southwest’s advertising spending levels were nearly 15 times that of Frontier, both airlines utilizing national spend while maintaining a local presence.
• Early in 2008, rising fuel costs absolutely devastated the airline industry. Fuel hit an astonishing all-time high of $147 a barrel in the early summer of 2008 versus $65 a barrel in 2007

Our challenge was to create a brand identity for an unknown airline, overcome a magnitude of obstacles, and become the airline industry’s most beloved brand.

OBJECTIVES

If Frontier needed to take a radically different approach as a company, we needed to take a radically different advertising approach that would:

• Increase overall awareness and load factors (bookings) in Denver.
• Build a brand from the ground up that would evoke a strong & lasting emotional bond with the people of Denver
• Fend off current and unforeseen competition that would attempt to erode Frontier’s current market share and stunt future growth.

THE BIG IDEA

To create an ongoing storyline that would make Frontier Airlines, Denver’s fun-loving, witty friend from Colorado.

It all started with leveraging the most ownable aspect of Frontier Airlines – the variety of wildlife animal images that have graced the tails of every plane since the company’s inception. We felt these images instantly evoked warmth, humanity and reflected the mindset of Coloradoians. They also created a completely unique platform to deliver Frontier’s message with sincerity in comparison to the empty promises consumers were used to hearing from other airlines.

The magic would be to bring the images to life in an entertaining, yet credible way that would evoke a strong and lasting emotional bond; thus enabling us to deliver a perfect combination of humorous entertainment and all pertinent news about Frontier – scope of service, new destinations, pricing, loyalty program benefits, amenities and so on – all of which encompassed the brand promise and tagline of being “A whole different animal.”

BRINGING THE IDEA TO LIFE

The Sitcom Strategy: We brought the idea to life literally by bringing the animal images to life in a TV sitcom format. Thoughtfully developed characters, all represented various personalities mirroring those in everyday life. They allowed us to touch upon human stereo-types that could not be captured with real people. They’re very authentic and most importantly, completely ownable to Frontier. Characters such as:

• “Larry the Lynx” – Calm, cool and collected – he’s the natural leader of the pack.
• “Grizwald the Bear” – A big, happy, stupid bear loved by all. He’s loud and unkempt, like a real animal – with a healthy appetite.
• “Jack the Rabbit” – Inquisitive, philosophical, and esoteric wise guy. He’s not above getting involved in childish squabbles.
• “Flip the Dolphin” – The Rodney Dangerfield of the pack. He gets no respect. For years, Flip was sent to the cold, windy city of Chicago, while the other animals enjoyed warm, sunny destinations. This ongoing subplot would eventually come to steal the spotlight.

The Setting: The tarmac at Denver International Airport. That’s where they all hang out. It’s their watering hole, their clubhouse, a place where they all come together to socialize and catch up on the latest news. They’re all good friends and even though they kid around with one another; it’s all in good spirit.

Through The Years: A series of TV launch spots introduced the characters and helped establish the “sitcom” to the people of Denver. Storylines between the animals emerged with each new commercial, and soon, Denver couldn’t get enough. Fan mail began pouring into Frontier’s corporate office – even phone calls and letters of praise directly to the CEO. All the local news anchors bantered about the latest story during the evening news. And over the next 3 years the entertainment value of the beloved characters coupled with Frontier’s commitment to introducing a steady pipeline of meaningful news helped create a solid armor to fend off serious competitive threats from United and Ted.

Mini-Sagas up the entertainment ante by creating a consumer engagement phenomenon in Denver

In the first year of our campaign, a determined United Airlines increases their local advertising spending in Denver 40-fold from $44K to $1.7M.* But a new and even bigger threat loomed. Lost-cost giant, Southwest Airlines had plans to enter Denver, with its sights squarely set on stealing Frontier’s market share. In order to combat this new presence in Frontier’s home market, we needed to steal the spotlight and really show the people of Denver that Frontier truly is “A whole different animal.”

“Flip to Mexico”
Expanding on a current storyline among the animals, we took one of Frontier’s most beloved characters, Flip the Dolphin, and created a campaign that would blur the line between reality and fiction. No matter how much he protested, Flip was always sent to the windy city of Chicago. In his final protest, Flip threatens Frontier – he goes to Mexico, or he quits! It all began with a series of mock newscasts. We then launched a staged grass roots movement to capture the public’s reaction to Flip’s ultimatum. Starting small, and building over the course of a month, we organized fake protests, distributed leaflets, and even vandalized our own billboards. The people of Denver became consumed with the story. Thousands supported Flip in the streets, online, and in various venues throughout Denver. The final verdict of whether Flip would be sent to Mexico was broadcast from Frontier’s corporate office during the Super Bowl. To the elation of everyone involved, Flip was on his way to warmer weather. A promotion accompanied the outcome by giving away 20 roundtrip tickets to Mexico for Flip’s maiden voyage. And, the city’s love affair for the airline was strengthened.

“Denver’s Favorite Animal”

The love and support from Denver was overwhelming. A year after “Flip to Mexico,” an independent research company told us that Frontier was “Denver’s Favorite Airline.”* In order to sustain our positive momentum and success, we decided to a build story based on the recent research. It seemed only natural that the animals would ask, “Who is Denver’s Favorite Animal?” The question was posed in an introductory TV spot, where the animals bickered and each claimed to be “Denver’s Favorite Animal.” The spot ended with a voice over urging the public to vote for their favorite animal at FrontierAirlines.com. And hence, the campaign for Denver’s Favorite Animal was underway. Over the next 5 weeks, consumers would be drawn into a mock political battle between the animals that pulled no punches and held nothing sacred. Platforms were developed by each animal – blanketing the city with mudslinging propaganda TV spots and wild postings. The people of Denver could show support for their favorite animal by going to FrontierAirlines.com, where they were able to vote, check the latest polls, post comments, read campaign updates, vote again, buy campaign kits, enter sweepstakes – and hopefully buy a few airline tickets in the process.

Summary

The sitcom strategy has allowed us to create an unparalleled emotional bond in the cold, uncaring airline industry. Six years later, over 100 TV spots and countless other messaging, the people of Colorado continue to want more – all of which continues to make Frontier Airlines “A whole different animal.”

COMMUNICATIONS TOUCH POINTS

Additional Marketing Components:

None

Reach:

Local & Regional

Total Media Expenditure:

$2-5 million

RESULTS

Increase overall awareness and load factors (bookings) in Denver.

• Awareness rose from 57% in August 2003 to 78% in September 2004. *Source: Attitudes Awareness & Usage Quantitative Study, Sterling-Rice Research Group, Boulder CO-Quantitative Studies 9/04
• Not only are Frontier ads most likely to be recalled versus the competition, the advertising remains the most well liked and differentiating among key competitors.

Advertising Perceptions (% somewhat or strongly agree)

Frontier’s load factors have been a true testament to Frontier’s buoyancy within the industry; not to mention their devoted passenger base.

• Nearly six years since the launch of the campaign, Frontier has posted record load factors in 60 of the 80 months – a record month, 75% of the time! 12 of 17 months while under bankruptcy protection alone!
• From 2003 – 2008 yearly Frontier load factors have increased from 69% to 82% capacity on average.

Frontier Load Factors – 2003 – 2009

Evoke a strong & sustainable emotional bond with the people of Denver

Frontier’s most distinguished honors were awarded to them by their own consumers.

• Voted “Denver’s Favorite Airline” in 2006

  *Source: Harris Interactive Independent Research Study, 2006

• Voted “Best Low Cost Carrier” in 2007 by Readers of Business Traveler Magazine.

  *Source: Voted by Readers of Business Traveler Magazine, 2006

• EarlyReturns (Frequent Flier Program) voted Best “Program of the Year” and “Best Award” at 2007 Freddie Awards.

  *Source: Voted in Freddie Awards by Readers of Inside Flyer Magazine, 2007

• In 2007, Frontier literally became a textbook example of great advertising. Professor Sandy Moriarty praised the campaign, “We highlight Frontier because the case is such a complete example of excellence in marketing communication. The strategy is brilliant, as is the creative idea and executions of the ‘different animal’ concept. It’s probably the best case we’ve ever used in the book.”

  *Source: Wells/Moriarty/Burnett, Advertising Principles and Practice, 2009

• Beyond receiving accolades from consumers, the campaign continues to pay dividends in the Denver press, which can’t seem to get enough of the story. Total unpaid media to date is $875,000.

  *Source: Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc. Press Department, 2008

• 2009: Grizwald joins Facebook with his own profile page. In just a few months he gains traction with over 1,000 friends and priceless interactive brand chatter. During the darkest days of bankruptcy, Griz’s page acted as a rallying cry, uniting Frontier fans and sparking an outpouring of support and content generation (Pictures, Video, etc). Griz’s page continues to thrive, welcoming new friends and posting updates on a weekly basis.

Fend off current and unforeseen competition that would attempt to erode Frontier’s current market share and stunt future growth.

• From 2003 to 2008 Frontier has benefited from consecutive increases in market share while competitor United Airlines, the world’s second largest airline, suffered considerable declines.
• Southwest’s aggressive expansion plans were halted, only gaining roughly 9% market share in 3 years. In comparison, Southwest averaged double the growth in other markets of similar size and competitive nature. Southwest was also unsuccessful in chipping away at Frontier’s share – as they continued to grow. *Source: Pittsburgh Tribune Review, June 2008 and Frontier Holdings, Inc., 2008
• 2008 marked the most significant increase to Frontier’s market share by nearly 26%.

Denver Market Share

• Both United and Southwest have continued to drastically outspend Frontier over the course of the campaign. Each airline leveraged the deep pockets of their national spend, while maintaining a local presence. At their peaks United was spending over $73 million while Southwest, in 2008, spent an astounding $216 million – versus Frontier’s $8 million.

Annual Media Spend

• Cut to November 2008. A complete revamp of Frontier’s ticketing system is poised and ready for launch. Introducing a tiered pricing structure we aptly deemed AirFairs, we had to be smart with our media planning without the luxury of our competitor’s oversized ad budgets. AirFairs was supported with effective and efficient print and online support. That November Frontier posted an operating profit of $2.5 million. Since then, Frontier has enjoyed 10 consecutive months without reporting a loss; a true testament to the airline’s resiliency during the industry’s economic struggles and a feat accomplished by no other competing airline during the period

Frontier Operating Profit

Anything else going on that might have helped drive results?

No other factors.

SOURCES

*Source: Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc.

**Source: Ad Views System, National Spending

***MSNBC, “Traders take their cue from jump in global stock market” Nov, 2008

*Source: Nielsen, Denver Market Spending, 2004

*Source: Harris Interactive, Independent Research Study, 2006

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