The challenge: Global scale, American obscurity

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China Southern Airlines flies to major U.S. airports like JFK, LAX and SFO, yet it sat well behind rival international carriers on social engagement and brand recall in the U.S..

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The brief from China Southern's marketing leadership was direct: they wanted to revitalise the brand's image in the U.S. and build communities on mainstream social channels through high-quality social content.

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The strategy: Three stages, one emotional thread

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The team designed a three-stage funnel:

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Crafted highly resonant promotion themes

Research was conducted on the attributes of China Southern Airlines' international audience base, allowing us to build promotion themes that used culturally relevant storytelling to bridge Chinese hospitality cues and American travel motivations.

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Interest-oriented content

We developed a lineup of engaging brand content, including behind-the-scenes footage of the assembly process of their A350-900 fleet, themed content for major festivals, alongside stories highlighting exceptional travel experiences.

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Optimising for conversion

Driving awareness and website visits by US-based travellers searching China and Southeast Asia route through a comprehensive three-phase Facebook campaign that combined U.S. specific ad products to deliver outcomes that surpassed their expectations.

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Results

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By using storytelling and targeted digital strategies, we significantly enhanced China Southern Airlines’ US presence and brand recognition across the campaign window:
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• 3.3M+ themed ad impressions
• 100M+ RMB in ticket conversion value
• 200M+ post views
• 300%+ increase in active fans