ZenithOptimedia wins Hainan Airlines's global media account

Brenda Niou (牛裕薇), general manager of Optimedia Beijing, which will be working on the account, cited the fact that agency holds the global account for Emirates and that senior managers have airline experience as factors that helped secure the win.

Hainan Airlines serves a network of nearly 400 domestic and international routes in more than 90 cities. ZenithOptimedia will be responsible for its media planning and media buying across more than 10 countries and regions, particularly in China, the US, Canada, Europe and Russia.

Hainan still has an in-house media agency, and Zenith is the first 4A agency to help the airline build its international brand image. The current creative agency is Ogilvy & Mather.

Niou told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the airline's global adspend for 2011 was very small. But the client needs to build their global awareness in 2012. "As traditional media is getting very expensive, we would concentrate our efforts on using new media creatively," Niou added.

The contract is for one year. 

Dennis Ma, former group account director of the Cathay Pacific Central Team at McCann Erickson Guangming Hong Kong, joined Hong Kong Airlines (HKA), part of Hainan Airlines, as its head of marketing on 17 January.