How Singapore Airlines elevated student travel dreams with its first KOL campaign
Singapore Airlines recognized that studying abroad is a transformative journey, and it sought to make its Student Privileges Program the ultimate travel companion for Filipino students aspiring to explore the world. To achieve this, SQ needed Near as the ideal creative partner to amplify their message in the digital sphere and engage a new generation of young travelers.
*KOL = Key Opinion Leaders aka Influencers / Content Creators
*Data taken from TikTok.
Industry Average TikTok Engagement Rate: 2.8%
Singapore Airlines is a globally recognized premium airline known for its world-class service and commitment to excellence. Offering seamless and luxurious travel experiences, it is the go-to choice for diverse travelers: from tourists to families and even students pursuing education abroad.
Through its KrisFlyer Student Privileges Program, Singapore Airlines extends exclusive benefits to young travelers, making their academic journeys abroad as rewarding as the destinations they explore.
Making world-class service part of the journey
Before launching its first campaign with key opinion leaders (KOLs), Singapore Airlines relied on digital ads and on-ground events to promote its Student Privileges Program. The brand shifted its strategy to target Filipino Gen Z students with aspirations of traveling and studying abroad once it recognized the growing influence of digital platforms.
Singapore Airlines then sought to establish a strong presence in the platforms the digitally savvy Gen Z occupy to capture this growing market. By building awareness of its program in this exciting space, a new generation of adventurers can be inspired to sign up and pursue their travel dreams.
Near flies influencers to the forefront
Near took flight with Singapore Airlines’ first KOL campaign, positioning the brand as the ultimate gateway for transformative, one-of-a-kind journeys for Gen Z travelers. Building on Singapore Airlines’ premium reputation, the team crafted a comprehensive strategy to establish Singapore Airlines as the bridge to world-class opportunities for students embarking on study-abroad dreams.
The foundation of the campaign lay in selecting the right influencers to share stories that other young people could relate to. Near pinpointed two key personas who resonated deeply with the Gen Z audience, shaping the campaign around their unique perspectives and experiences:
The Eager Youngsters who are actively planning their study-abroad journeys and are curious about other students’ experiences abroad, and
KOL Featured: @nikady, @jacealibarbar
The Seasoned Seniors who are former international students fondly reflecting on their experience abroad and have many thoughts and tips to share for aspiring students.
KOL Featured: @manzanosofia, @ciara.gan
To amplify the campaign’s impact, Near developed a customized KOL strategy, leveraging mid-tier KOLs for their broad reach and seasoned reflections while tapping into the relatability and niche appeal of micro-KOLs. Together, they delivered authentic, story-driven content that highlighted the benefits of the Student Privileges Program.
Near also maximized the campaign budget by successfully negotiating not just video content, but also Instagram Stories in the content scope to increase campaign visibility. These short, engaging narratives provided a dynamic way to emphasize key messaging and drive engagement.
The campaign also succeeded in generating organic conversations about studying abroad and the Student Privileges Program. By selecting influencers who genuinely resonated with their followers, Near cultivated authentic engagement, sparking excitement and interest among Gen Z audiences.
Throughout the journey, Near demonstrated agility by swiftly recalibrating KOL allocations as needed to optimize results, ensuring the strategy remained adaptable and results-driven.
Navigating the Flight Path to Heightened Insights
Craft platform-specific content. Building consistent brand awareness requires adapting content to the unique strengths of each platform. Instagram Stories, with its narrative-centric format, proved effective for driving link clicks, while TikTok excelled in entertainment-driven engagement. Leveraging these combined strengths can be a game changer for a campaign’s success.
Genuine content is the ticket to real engagement. A successful partnership means aligning content strategies with influencer personas and platform dynamics. The campaign’s success highlighted the power of relatability and trust among the airline’s highly engaged audiences over hard-sell approaches.
Prioritize tangible results. The campaign effectively used exclusive codes tied to each KOL to encourage conversions, offering a tangible incentive for students to take action. This approach drove measurable results and a concrete reference for the campaign’s overall impact.