Company: The Marketing Arm, Dallas, TX
Company Description: Founded in 1993, The Marketing Arm is a promotions and events agency specializing in entertainment, sports, cause, and multicultural marketing. Based in Dallas, The Marketing Arm operates within Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC).
Nomination Category: Advertising Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Direct Response/Direct Mail Ad

Nomination Title: American Airlines "DealFinder"

    The date on which this nominated ad was first run, aired, or otherwise made public:

        July 2007

    Briefly describe this entry’s communications objectives and how it met those objectives (up to 100 words):

        http://thestevies.com/ABA08Attachments/TheMarketingArm/

        BACKGROUND

        In July 2007, American Airlines’ AA.com launched the DealFinder desktop widget.
        (Learn more at: www.aa.com/dealfinder).  When downloaded, DealFinder allows
        consumers to set their travel preferences based on these questions:

           * Where do you want to travel?
           * On what dates do you want to travel?
           * How many people are traveling with you?
           * How much money do you want to spend?

        Then, DealFinder alerts them (on their desktop) when it finds a flight
        price/schedule match based on their preferences. At which point the consumer is
        only one click away from booking their flight.

        The DealFinder tool also:

          * Lets you receive personalized, customized marketing message and exclusive
        fares/discounts

          * Contains all the information you enjoy at the AA.com site right at your
        fingertips

          * Is unique and more advanced technically than its competitors – no competing
        tool can match against price point

          * Allows you to receive ALL your designated RSS feeds – AA feeds and all the
        others you have – in one place on your desktop (e.g., travel, news and weather
        sites)
        
        SITUATION

        AA.com tasked The Marketing Arm with developing a targeted direct marketing
        campaign and supporting online promotion that would introduce the new DealFinder
        tool, create awareness and drive downloads.

        OBJECTIVE

        Introduce the new AA.com DealFinder tool: create awareness and drive downloads.

        STRATEGIES

        1. Send 1MM+ direct mail pieces to high-value American Airlines flyers,
        educating them on the benefits of DealFinder:

            * Separate the audience into three segments
            * Test a different creative execution against each audience segment

        2. Create an online promotion to further educate consumers about the DealFinder
        tool and encourage them to download it:

            * Utilize a “chance to win” sweepstakes as an incentive – “Win a Trip Around
        the World”
            * Partner with MasterCard to increase prize package value, and motivate
        bookings using the card

        COMMUNICATION VEHICLES

        1. Targeted Direct Mail campaign

        2. Emails from American to their email subscribers (AAirmail, eSummary and
        NetSAAver emails)

        3. Online banner ads on AA.com

        DIRECT MARKETING CAMPAIGN

        Audience

        These consumers tend to be highly educated and travel often. They like to plan
        their leisure trips well in advance and are airline savvy. They know that fares
        will go on sale at some point, and they want to be the first to hear when their
        “magic price” becomes available.

        These consumers are also tech-savvy. They have all the latest technology to make
        their lives easier (e.g., iPhones, desktop alert tools for other airlines,
        Podcasts with the latest news, etc.)

        Audience 1:

        AAdvantage customers, US residents, non-military, flew 5+ economy seating round
        trips on over the past 2 years, with 50% of these trips on American Airlines

        Audience 2:

        Non-AAdvantage customers, US residents, non-military, flew economy seating round
        trips on American Airlines recently

        Audience 3:

        AAdvantage members with high incomes who have kids. These customers mentioned
        “family” as a preferred marketing choice on AA.com

        DIRECT MAIL DATES

        The first piece dropped October 17, 2007 and the last piece dropped November 5,
        2007

        CREATIVE

        “THE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH THESE THREE WORDS … WE FOUND IT!” (aka “We Found It!”)

        Dropped 10/17/07

        50% sent to audience 1
        50% sent to audience 2

        How it works:

        - Cover: The journey begins with these three words.
        - Open the perforated flap over “these three words” and you see “We Found It!”
        - Flip open the piece and you find an image of the DealFinder at the bottom
        having located a search, showing the words “We Found It!” in an alert to the
        consumer
        - Track audience downloads by having them click on a unique URL to download
        DealFinder: www.aa.com/wefoundit

        “THE HARDEST WORKING TOOL IN TRAVEL” (aka “Swiss Army Knife”)
        Dropped 10/30/07
        50% sent to audience 1, 50% sent to audience 2

        How it works:
        - A self-mailer
        - This piece has a wheel on the right side – turn it and you can change the
        “preferences” on the DealFinder (e.g., SFO to JFK, departure date 11/21/07,
        return date 11/25/07 or DFW to LAX, departure date 10/12/07, return date 10/14/07)
        - Track audience downloads by having them click on a unique URL to download
        DealFinder: www.aa.com/deals

        “CHART YOUR COURSE” (aka “Map/Tube”)
        Dropped 11/05/07
        100% sent to audience 3

        How it works:
        - A tube with art work printed on it indicating to “open and learn more about
        the AA.com DealFinder”
        - The tube includes:
            * A laminated map that can be written on
            * AA.com-branded dry-erase board markers (one red, one blue)
            * A letter/insert explaining the DealFinder and how the map should be used
        to plan future trips, or chart your course for past trips you’ve taken. Perhaps
        put it on the refrigerator and let the kids’ plan the next family trip (or two,
        or three …)

        - Track audience downloads by having them click on a unique URL to download
        DealFinder: www.aa.com/map

        ONLINE PUBLIC PROMOTION
        AUDIENCE
        American Airlines customers

        PROMOTION DATES

        January 7, 2008 – March 7, 2008 (60 days)

        CREATIVE

        “DEALFINDER ONLINE PROMOTION SITE HOMEPAGE”
        The landing page for consumers visiting the promotional site

        “DEALFINDER PROMOTION KEY GRAPHIC”
        Used in emails and online banner ads to drive consumers to the promotional site
        
        RESULTS

        Direct Mail

        RESULTS DATA REDACTED FROM ENTRY FOR PUBLICATION

        The data show that while the first direct mail – “We Found It!” – provided the
        largest number of direct downloads, the pieces that drove awareness, “Swiss Army
        Knife” and “Map/Tube,” resulted in higher indirect downloads. That is to say,
        DealFinder was downloaded by users going to AA.com/dealfinder or through the
        AA.com homepage rather than by using the direct URL on the direct mail piece
        (aa.com/deals or aa.com /map). We can conclude that the direct mail pieces had a
        much higher awareness impact than can be measured directly.

        Online Public Promotion

        Based on the average conversion rate for an AA.com online public promotion, the
        public promotion is considered successful.

    List the appropriate creative and production credits for this entry: Advertising Agency/City: Client: Art Director: Cinematographer: Creative Director: Designer: Director: Illustrator/City: Music Producer/City: Photographer/City: Printer/City: Producer: Production Company/City: Programmer: Writer: Web Development Firm/City:

        Nowell Upham, EVP, The Marketing Arm
        Scott Biggers, Group Concept Director, The Marketing Arm
        Todd Lancaster, Creative Director, The Marketing Arm
        Carrie Rosamond, Account Supervisor, The Marketing Arm
        Julie Schneider, Account Director, The Marketing Arm