The insight derived from a global airline category problem. Altitude has serious effects on how both food and drink taste. Many airlines adapt food and select specific wines for this environment, but this has never been done for the world’s favourite alcoholic beverage.

So, as the airline that believes in travelling well, Cathay Pacific set themselves a challenge.

With valuable front-end travellers feeling frustrated by the declining food quality in-flight, Cathay Pacific needed an innovative solution that embodied the Life Well Travelled spirit, and would significantly change brand perception.

How could we convince travellers that Cathay Pacific was delivering to them world-class standards that were worth every penny they pay, and deliver this content in a way that they would take notice?

We created our very own experiential media platform. Cathay Pacific’s innovation, the first beer scientifically crafted to taste best at 35,000 feet.

Craft ale has exploded in recent years, especially amongst well-travelled 30-45 year olds – Cathay Pacific’s core front-end audience. As a branded innovation designed to help these travellers “travel well”, the strategy was to get The Altitude Brew into the hands of an influential niche segment of this demographic.

First we analysed the science of an aircraft cabin, finding that engine noise, jetlag and cabin pressure dull our palate by up to 30%. Cathay Pacific then partnered with a local Hong Kong craft brewery to reinvent the brewing process for our base beer. This included:

• Making it a wheat beer to enhance flavour and reduce bitterness, which other beers develop at altitude.

• Increasing carbonation 10% higher than sea level beers.

• Ensuring the yeast was unfiltered to retain vitamin B, known for restorative properties.

• Adding higher CO2 levels to stimulate flavour receptors on the tongue.

We also called the beer Betsy after Cathay Pacific’s first aircraft, a 1946 DC-3, a further link to the brand’s historical drive for innovation.

Once brewed, it was time to take the beer to the air to extensively test which recipe tasted best at 35,000 feet.

Once brewed and bottled, the beer was launched initially in the air on 43 weekly flights in First and Business Class between Hong Kong and the UK and in the corresponding Cathay Pacific airport lounges, putting the product directly in the hands of our target consumers. With a small start, the product of our dedication to innovation took off. After launching with a minimal campaign budget and brewing only 4,800 bottles, Cathay Pacific responded to overwhelming customer demand by increasing production to 50,000 bottles immediately after the launch – a 942% increase.

Cathay Pacific further expanded the programme by increasing campaign budget and rolling Betsy Beer out on other key routes including Australia, Canada and Japan, until late 2017.

• 74% of frequent premium travellers said Betsy Beer enhanced and 83% said Betsy Beer differentiated the Cathay experience.

• US$13 million editorial ad value equivalent: 100x the campaign budget.