Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase
2010 | Finalist | Best Use of Digital Search
Advertiser: Malaysia Airlines System Bhd Brand: Malaysia Airlines Creative Agency: - Credits: Sharmin Parameswaran (Business Director), Sanchit Sanga (Regional Search Director, GroupM), Vishal Jacob (Business Director, GroupM), Jerry Lim (Search Manager, GroupM)
Challenge
The travel category in the search sphere is one of the most active as more consumers turn online to research, compare and purchase travel solutions. In this complex cross borders environment, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) was not at ‘top of page’
and top of mind.
Solution
Recognising the increasing importance of search in gaining market share, we embarked on one of the most comprehensive Search strategies ever undertaken in the sector, covering 25 markets and 10 languages and all managed centrally from Malaysia. We launched three simultaneous strategies. Firstly, to connect with in-market consumers actively searching for ‘travel’. Secondly, we tracked consumer interactions with search words straight through to conversions. Thirdly, we managed MAS image and reputation by including brand search.
Execution
We conceived a robust campaign structure where relevant ads highlighting fares and products for destination and origin cities were assigned to each keyword group.
The final set up included over 1,000,000 keywords and 50,000 ad copies. We adopted an intuitive web based Search Engine Marketing (SEM) software designed exclusively for managing, measuring and optimizing all forms of search traffic. More importantly, we tracked and optimised keywords direct to MAS’s bottom line profits.
Results
Ticket sales sold through global search engine origins alone increased by 450%. Visitor website volume improved through creative copy optimization. The campaign beat its closest competitor to win Gold at the Asia Pacific Digital Media Awards 2009.
