SilkAir overhauls image

The print work, created by JWT Singapore, is the agency’s first for the airline since winning the business from Ogilvy & Mather in March this year.  The campaign will expand into broadcast, out-of-home and ambient media later in the year.

The ads focus on the Asian destinations served by SilkAir, which specialises in short- to medium-haul travel. It highlights destinations such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Kunming in China.

Renu Nair, SilkAir’s media and marketing communications manager, said: “JWT’s task was to articulate SilkAir’s niche and unique positioning.  We believe this campaign not only raises awareness of the destinations we’re proud to champion, but refines more clearly our full-service image as we position ourselves in an increasingly competitive market.”

The airline believes consumers unfairly see it as a no-frills alternative to Singapore Airlines, of which it is a subsidiary. It is often seen as competing with low-cost carriers such as AirAsia, Jetstar and Tiger Airways.

Peter Cheung, group account director for SilkAir at JWT Singapore, noted: “The aim of the campaign is to reposition the airline where it should be, and recognised for what it should be. Not only does the creative state the quality service offered by SilkAir, it also emphasises its destinations, building awareness of what gives the airline its unique mix.”

The airline was looking to boost brand recall among regional travellers when it shifted its S$1.5 million (US$1.1 million) advertising account to JWT in March after six years with Ogilvy & Mather.

According to its brief to contesting agencies at the time of pitching, SilkAir was looking to grow passenger capacity by 10 per cent each year while bolstering its brand image over the long term.

SilkAir was launched as Tradewinds in 1989, serving holiday destinations. It relaunched as SilkAir, with a focus on business as well as leisure travellers, in 1992.

The carrier posted operating profits of S$40 million in the year to March 2008, up 100 per cent year on year. That is dwarfed by the profits of S$1.6 billion made by the Singapore Airlines brand.