Etihad Airways and Facebook have announced a new partnership which will provide the Abu Dhabi-based airline with a wide range of online solutions to expand its reach across wider target audiences and assist in the delivery of effective marketing campaigns.
The partnership is set to redefine and reinvent travel industry marketing and to deliver world class personalised and effective campaigns to enhance the travel experience.
Among the new initiatives is Etihad Airways' launch of Facebook's brand new global Expat Targeting campaign in the UAE.
As the first brand in the world to use this solution, Etihad Airways reached out to targeted audiences using personalised messages in their Facebook News Feed, to encourage Indian national expatriates in the UAE to fly their families to Abu Dhabi for Diwali.
The campaign resulted in a 51 times the return on investment, and reached more than half a million expatriate Indian nationals in the UAE with personalised messages.
Liz Selby, Etihad Airways' Head of Social Media, said, "Etihad Airways aims to be the world's leading airline and by working together with Facebook and its customised marketing tools, we can ensure our messages are communicated effectively and reach the right people.
"This partnership will allow Etihad Airways' marketing team to gain access to Facebook's best-in-class training, development solutions and resources, in order to drive increased market share and commercial returns for our brand.
"People expect communication to be personal, relevant and mobile. With Facebook's Expat Targeting we were able to speak to a highly relevant audience and deliver them something that was truly valuable and in real time."
Jonathan Labin, Head of Facebook, Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, said, "Etihad Airways has a multitude of dynamic services that need to be communicated to the right people and at the right time, and I am confident Facebook can offer solutions to deliver its personalised campaigns to where they matter the most."