THE BRUTALLY SIMPLE SOLUTION

In addition to regular promotional periods, Norwegian required sales-orientated tactical activities on an ongoing basis, with over 600 digital ads running worldwide each and every week. To add another layer of complexity, it wasn't just one product we needed to communicate. We needed to market flights to destinations around the globe in six different categories, such as "Big cities", "Sun & Swimming" and "Snow". This would require a strategic approach and a tactical framework, marrying creative ideas and imagery that could work both to and from Norwegian’s many destinations without feeling generic. In addition, the creative output needed to be easily adaptable and translatable to suit all markets, channels and formats. Until now, this had proven problematic and ineffective, with lots of work required to produce generic, simple ads containing destination names and prices in white text on a red background – which neither inspired travel nor built brand. We needed to re-think everything. Norwegian's business concept is to offer high quality at a low price, which was reflected in the marketing budget. Our biggest challenge was to find a long-term creative solution that could be produced as cost-effectively as possible without losing a premium feeling – to signal that Norwegian is not a low-cost company, but one that actually stands for quality.

THE RESULT: A DRAMATIC MEASURABLE CHANGE

We needed to solve complex challenges in a simple way, and succeed in strengthening the perception of Norwegian in terms of quality whilst simultaneously targeting a mass audience. After an extensive analysis, we developed a new strategic platform. From this we landed on the realization that we were selling experiences rather than destinations. For example, discovering a wonderful bistro on a back streets of 6th arrondissement is much more enticing than an ad saying "Paris: SEK 199". By dramatizing discovery, we were able to gain scalability with imagery too. For example, a café experience could be used to sell New York, Riga or London even though the photo was taken in Stockholm on a cold winter day.

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A brutally simple creative solution was developed, designed to work in every channel. It was based on the template "______ On Sale" with imagery that conveyed a specific experience together with contrasting headlines that conveyed Norwegian’s personality. To help with local adaptation, we were careful to avoid puns or colloquialisms. We produced an image bank and copy decks for all destination categories, including specific messages to business customers. Automated systems were used for fast (and comprehensive) delivery of material in every market, with a common look and feel, quality and creative control over messaging. The concept was first and foremost designed to sell, but it also had strong emotional appeal to strengthen the brand. An important result was that Norwegian’s everyday communication became much more time and cost effective. It released energy in the organization and allowed us to allocate budget to other brand building activities instead.

WANT KNOW MORE?

EMAIL: bjarte.eide@mcsaatchi.com