How Cebu Pacific made domestic travel cool again
In a time when Filipinos are eager to gain new and meaningful experiences through travel, they often overlook domestic locations in favor of international destinations. Cebu Pacific partnered with Near to showcase the unique beauty of the Philippines and encourage every Juan to discover it for themselves.
Cebu Pacific is the Philippines’ leading budget airline, with a wide range of domestic flight offerings across the country’s three major islands and international destinations. They currently have over 60 active routes for every Juan to enjoy.
The award-winning airline is widely known today for its affordable fares and exciting promotions, such as its much-awaited Piso Sales for domestic and international flights.
Enticing every Juan to get to know the Philippines
The Philippines has countless world-class destinations offering unique experiences for Filipinos and foreigners alike. However, many Filipinos still perceive domestic travel as less glamorous or exciting than going international. In partnership with the Department of Tourism, Cebu Pacific sought to change these perceptions and prove that travel adventures are best begun right here in our homeland through its inspiring “Discover Juan by Juan” campaign.
Since they are a growing travel market, Cebu Pacific wanted to tap the young and eager Gen Zs, in particular, to show that the Philippines is the “it” destination for Juanderers and that Cebu Pacific is the right partner to bring them to new places that are right at home.
Cebu Pacific collaborated with Near to bring “Discover Juan by Juan” to Filipinos in two parts – the first being a PR event in the beautiful Samal, Davao, and the second half a TikTok campaign that would highlight the original song “Discover Juan by Juan.”
Near brings Cebu Pacific’s vision to life
Cebu Pacific tapped 12 micro- and mid-tier key opinion leaders (KOLs) to fly to Davao for the onsite event, the majority of whom were on the airline’s priority KOL list. The KOLs emphasized the beauty not just of the destination itself, but the experience of making new memories while you’re young. Throughout their content, the KOLs also wore Cebu Pacific brand colors to keep the brand at the top of viewers’ minds.
The team managed the influencer campaign end to end, from outreach, negotiation, and flight logistics to KOL briefing and coordination throughout their stay in Davao.
Discovering what makes Davao different
KOLs from Left to Right: @neilferanil @theleonbarretto @ashleyogarcia @blue.zoleta
After Cebu Pacific’s successful PR event in Samal, Davao, Near then partnered with 35 micro- and mid-tier influencers, whom the team chose through a meticulous process to make sure that there was a good variety of content styles represented in the executions. The Near team collaborated with the KOLs to find new ways to make featured locations such as Bacolod, Siargao, Boracay, and Palawan truly shine in the content while touching on the very Gen Z sentiment of romanticizing life – because you can earn the money back, but you won’t be young forever.
Near also teamed up with musician KOLs who had roots across the Philippines – from Cebu, Metro Manila, and Bacolod, to name a few – to create covers of CebPac’s original travel song and explore the various ways they could bring it to life through genres such as reggae, pop, folk, and rock.
Taking over TikTok through meaningful travel
KOLs from Left to Right: @rosellevytiaco @katrinaermino @fpchompz @kuysjerome18 @jenelchristen @chezka.sblz @carmsrari
Near’s discoveries for campaigns that soar
Step into the POV of the viewer. Viewers love cohesive, digestible content that reels them in from background music to visuals. The more context the content provides for what the audience is watching, the easier it will be for them to immerse themselves in the content.
KOLs make each other stronger. It’s exciting when KOLs feature other KOLs in their content, and the proof is in the numbers. Near saw spikes in engagement thanks to KOL stories and posts that featured other KOLs.
Different platforms, different content styles. The upbeat covers of “Discover Juan by Juan” original song were hits on TikTok, while the mellow covers received higher engagement on Instagram. Tailor your content to your platforms for optimum results!
