All systems go for BA high-flyer

With the recovery of the travel industry in Asia on the horizon, Choi Fong Vallis has unleashed an integrated campaign to hit regional travellers. As marketing manager for British Airways, she is tasked with overseeing the brand's strategic positioning across the Greater China region. She joined the BA team in Hong Kong in 1997, just as the somewhat controversial 'Project Utopia' was being launched. The project, in which the logo painted on the tailfins of the aircraft was relaunched in a number of multicultural forms, was criticised for playing down BA's 'Britishness'. Ironically, it is this same 'Britishness' that Fong says is what the BA brand in Asia relies on. "What we have is a Western brand operating in Asia and Asian airlines are some of the best competitors in the world," she says. Yet what some might see as a potential setback, Fong saw as an opportunity. Her present marketing strategy for the brand is heavily focused on promoting the heritage and prestige of the brand. From 1999 to 2001, Fong worked out of BA's head office in London. "This was when I really got to know the brand and the people behind the brand," she says. "There was much involvement with the products themselves and interaction with the brand on a deeper level." Fong's experience in advertising is something she credits with helping her to understand the bigger marketing picture. She spent five years with Leo Burnett, gaining valuable understanding and practice of the industry and, before that, below-the-line and PR positions in other agencies. Incidentally, her first account at Burnett was an airline. "Much of my grounding and discipline in terms of coordination and follow-up comes from being in account servicing. I'm always responsible for making sure that things start at 'A' and finish at 'Z' -- overseeing the whole process," Fong says. "Having jumping into marketing from advertising, I learnt that marketing encompasses so much more than just advertising. All of a sudden, when I came into the role, I had to be responsible for PR, below-the line and internal communications. We have no separate departments, so internal communications is very important to make sure all staff know what is out there." The two-person marketing team in the Hong Kong office might seem undersized for coverage of such a major region, but Fong says that it has its advantages. "With small teams, you have to have an honest and open relationship. There's no room for not sharing information" she says. While the industry is in the midst of getting itself back on track after the troubles of the last few years, there have been some significant changes in the way things are being done. "Perhaps in the past, when we had bigger budgets, we could be more flexible with things we wanted to do. Now, we really have to look at things from a more 'hard-nosed' perspective," she explains. BA's marketing and advertising efforts can be seen around the region as integrated campaigns. Above- and below-the-line efforts are seeing the Club World and Masterbrand television commercials pushed to reach a wider audience on cable and local channels, and plans have been made to show them in local cinemas as well. Below-the-line efforts have included joint promotions with brands in other categories, such as the recent Frette Linen promotion part of the 'Sleep well' campaign. With new technology, new promotions and new uniforms in the pipeline, Fong and her team hope to communicate the message that British Airways equals innovation, while maintaining its classically British reputation.