In 2000 Qantas was very different to today. The company had reached its lowest point since 1993 privatisation thanks to financial difficulty, union disputes, price wars and record low shares.

By 2015 Qantas recorded its "best ever" second-half performance following its Transformation Program. This saw significant investment in lounges, aircraft, technology and services. But it also saw cuts – 5,000 jobs and $2billion in costs impacting staff, customers and public image.

2015 was also Qantas’ 95th Birthday. The brief - find a fresh way to celebrate and re-engage the Australian public. Specifically:

1)Positive narrative: Change the conversation – tell positive stories

2)Employee pride: Rekindle pride for the brand

3)Public affection: Reawaken Australian brand affection

4)Contemporary: Present a more progressive brand

5)Perceptions vs reality: Close the gap between perception and reality of product and service competitiveness

6)Partnerships: Make partnerships actively contribute ROI

7)Revenue: Deliver profitable results

We created Ready for Take-Off. An 8-part, 30min factual entertainment documentary that told the story of running the world’s safest airline.

At no cost, the show aired primetime on Channel Nine over eight weeks, and was moved from Friday to Wednesday at 7:30pm; the Holy Grail for branded content.

It was available on JumpIn (Nine’s streaming service) immediately after airing, allowing mobile or tablet users to watch on-demand.

The role of digital was critical and two-fold:

1)Drive viewership; heavy paid social media prior, during and post-show drove awareness. Editorial content and PR reviews of the show were promoted via Outbrain, and influential social media handles (media and aviation enthusiasts) encouraged tune-in.

2)Drive engagement; additional social content was released to coincide with significant events on screen, deeper two minute side stories appeared in social, and live Q&A’s were conducted via Periscope during commercial to ensure audience retention and engagement.