Cheil lands Etihad Airways mega brief

The Cheil Network has scooped the global digital and social marketing account for Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, following a competitive pitch process held last month.
The agency has been briefed to deliver Etihad Airways’ strategy and creative in all digital and social channels; it will also support Etihad with performance-based marketing, analytics and reporting.
Etihad Airways will be served by Cheil’s global network of specialisms, with its digital specialists, The Barbarian Group, taking primary responsibility for driving best-in-class digital and social marketing for the airline.
Etihad not only bankrolls Manchester City FC, 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.
The airline 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.
In time Cheil could potentially expand its reach to work on all these accounts too.
Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ senior vice president of marketing, said: “Digital is at the core of our marketing and Cheil’s strong global team demonstrated a perfect blend of creative ambition and strategic thinking, with ideas that reflected our brand values and personality. They will also bring a high level of sophistication to our performance marketing through their analytical skills and understanding of the latest industry technology. That makes them the right agency partner for the next phase of Etihad Airways’ growth.”
Cheil Worldwide is a global creative network headquartered in South Korea. It operates 47 offices in 40 countries across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

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