- Matt Eaton

Cathay Pacific Airways is making a major effort to expand its global brand.

The push, unveiled this week by Cathay Pacific Central Team, housed within McCann Erickson, was more than six months in the making and marks some of the client's most integrated work to date.

The first element of the campaign will see the carrier's microsite expanded to include 100 Cathay Pacific staff profiles.

Also, Cathay has inked a deal with EMI to secure the rights to Robbie Williams hit song "Feel," which will become the signature tune for platforms including hold music, boarding music and Web portals.

The work will run across Cathay's 26 destination markets on platforms including The International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal Asia, South China Morning Post, CNN, National Geographic and BBC World.

Out-of-home iterations will also run in New York, London and Hong Kong international terminals.

Vince Viola, executive vice president and managing director of McCann's Cathay Pacific Central Team, said the work would heavily promote its online portal, which he said is now a major contributor to ticketing revenue.

While he said the global push was a big investment, Viola stressed it was a smart use of the carrier's media budget. 

"We are still very much spending below the competition," said Viola. "It's a modest marketing budget."
 
Marketing Magazine Asia