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Dwelling on the initiatives being
done, Emirates VP India and Nepal
Salem Obaidalla says that the airline
is looking at the possibility of running
contests. In addition to promotional
contests, Emirates recently introduced
the Emirates Fifa packages to provide
its Indian and Asian passengers with
an opportunity to experience the 2006
Fifa World Cup excitement. "Passengers
purchasing Emirates Fifa packages
to any of the airline's European destinations
will receive complimentary match tickets
to the game of their choice including
the final" he says.
These
packages, starting from Euros1,810
(Rs 1,00,817) per person, include
Emirates flights to any of the airline's
European destinations (return); two
nights' accommodation from a choice
of one of 12 cities where matches
are being played, and a complimentary
match ticket to any of the games,
including the final, subject to availability.
Emirates
is using the television, print, outdoor
and the internet mediums to create
awareness of its association with
the Fifa World Cup. A global TV advertising
campaign launched recently to mark
the airline's Official Partner status.
The advertisements are running on
several international channels like
ESPN Star Sports, CNN, BBC World,
Discovery and National Geographic.
Online
an official website of the 2006 Fifa
World Cup hosted by Yahoo was created
last year with Emirates sponsorship.
The site will be featuring complete
match coverage.
When
asked to elaborate on the theme of
the campaign Obaidalla says, "The
theme of the campaign is based on
Emirates' hugely successful and award-winning
Keep discovering campaign. The advertisements
speak the language of the fans and
the passion of football in a truly
international and global context.
"The
message of the campaign is that wherever
you go and whatever cultural background
you have, you'll find people all around
the world having one thing in common:
We all speak one language: Football.
"The
key visual of a person running with
his arms outstretched mimicking an
aircraft - a move performed by footballers
after having scored a goal - show
an underlined link between Emirates
and the sport of football."
Emirates
has also used the print medium in
a big way. Over the past few months
ads have been carried in publications
such as The Sunday Times, The Daily
Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Closer
to home, Emirates is also looking
to tie up with certain Indian hotels
and pubs for screenings. These will
be called Fifa World Cup Zones. When
asked where India stands, Obaidalla
points out that India is a key market.
Indian Ocean and West Asia contributed
9.7 per cent of Emirates' total revenue
for 2004 to 2005.
"The
Indian sub-continent contributed approximately
18 per cent of Emirates' total passengers
for 2004 to 2005. We have just launched
in Kolkata and are actively promoting
the route. Kolkata will be promoted
by Emirates Holidays, the largest
wholesale tour operator in the Gulf
and Middle East, in its World of Choice
brochures, and through Emirates' offices
and travel agents across the network.
"
After the launch in Kolkata, we will
launch eight flights per week between
Dubai and Bangalore starting 29 October.
We are also interested in launching
services to smaller cities and hope
the Indian and UAE governments will
give the necessary permissions through
the bi-lateral agreement.
"We
are also identifying a second international
call centre facility in India that
will handle all operations worldwide.
Our current facility handles all queries
from Dubai, North America, Australia,
and UK."
As
had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com,
Emirates Airline signed a seven year
$ 195 million partnership deal with
Fifa. With this sponsorship deal,
the airline's largest ever, Emirates
becomes the sixth and final major
sponsor of Fifa, joining the likes
of Coca-Cola, Visa, Adidas, Sony and
Hyundai.
The
airlines will be the official carrier
to all Fifa events - including both
the 2010 (South Africa) and 2014 (in
South America) World Cups. Emirates
is looking to strengthen its association
with international football, which
its says is the most widely supported
sport in the world.
Emirates
has a commitment from Fifa to ensure
that at least 22 matches including
the opening match, two quarter-finals,
two semi-finals, the third place play
off and the final of both the 2010
and the 2014 Fifa World Cups may be
shown on free-to-air television
within the territory of the United
Arab Emirates. This, Emirates notes
is a great opportunity for residents
of the UAE to enjoy what it calls
the greatest sporting spectacle on
earth.
Emirates
passengers will also benefit as Emirates
has the exclusive right to broadcast
matches of the 2010 and 2014 FIFA
World Cups either live or delayed
on its in-flight entertainment systems.
Emirates
branding will be evident at all Fifa
events during the eight years of this
agreement – which is some 44
tournaments and 952 matches - as well
as on all Fifa merchandise and its
website,
which will be seen by billions of
people during the lifetime of this
partnership.
As
Fifa’s only Travel Partner, Emirates
receives preferred airline status
and a commitment from Fifa to develop
business with Emirates including team/association
travel wherever logistically possible
which will allow the airline to grow
through exposure to new customers
around the world and to further develop
Dubai as one of the world’s premier
travel hubs and destinations.
Also Read:
Emirates
Airline in $195 million 7-year partnership
with Fifa
Adidas
maps its biggest football campaign
ever for World Cup
Coca
Cola, Hungama TV team up with Adidas
for football challenge event
MasterCard
files suit against Fifa
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