Agencies vie for Etihad DM bonanza

Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi government owned company which has bankrolled Manchester City to the tune of £400m, is looking to appoint its first direct marketing business to handle the firm’s global account.
Given the airline’s deep pockets and the potential scale of its operation, new business chiefs will no doubt be licking their lips at the prospect of scooping what could grow to be a major slice of work, which is understood to include both CRM and email marketing activity.
The airline has already contacted a number of agencies about the account; Partners Andrews Aldridge chief executive Martin Nieri – a huge Manchester City fan – is likely to be especially keen to get his agency on the pitchlist.
But it is not only City which Etihad bankrolls, it also has sponsorship deals with New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, England Cricket Teams, Mumbai Indians Cricket Team, Major League Soccer, Formula One, golf, hurling, triathlons, and even The Sydney Opera House.
Eithad already has an established loyalty programme, Etihad Guest, which covers Etihad Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional, while it has a raft of partner airlines including Alitalia, Airberlin and Air Serbia.
The business which picks up the airline account could, in time, potentially expand its reach to work on all these accounts too.
However, it is not a foregone conclusion that an agency will win through. British Airways recently shunned the sector to appoint eBay Enterprise – which supports and advises brands on optimising their marketing strategies – to handle the airline’s email marketing account.
Established by royal decree of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in July 2003, the airline operates more than 1,000 flights per week to 96 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.
It is the third largest airline in the Middle East and the second largest airline in the UAE, after the Dubai-based airline Emirates.