Frequent-Flyer Programs

In a campaign which shifts from lifestyle branding to life-saving, Qantas Airlines is running a new promotion which is aimed to encourage customers to be more active and features Christopher Walken as the official spokesperson.

Customers can earn Qantas Points by joining the airline’s new Qantas Assure medical policy, downloading the Qantas Assure App paired with a wearable, and meet physical activity targets. The new promotion is a collaboration with the Australian National Heart Foundation.

The campaign will run on TV, cinemas, airports, outdoor and online.

[Note: video can only be viewed in select markets]

“We have more than 11 million Frequent Flyers and about a quarter of all Australians are already keeping an eye on their health through wearable technology, so we think the idea of earning points for being active will appeal to a lot of people,” said Qantas Loyalty CEO Lesley Grant.

Qantas cites data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics stating that 80% of Australians choose walking and running as their most popular fitness activity. Less than 1/5 Australians meet 10,000 steps per day targets. The George Institute for Global Health, Qantas says, found that small increases in activity, from 1.000 to 3.000 steps a day, could increase lifespan by 12%.

“We know from trialling the Qantas Assure App that being incentivised to stay fit and healthy is popular among our members. When there are points up for grabs, members have told us they would take the stairs rather than the lift, park a few blocks away from the train station and do an extra lap of the park while walking the dog because they also know it is good for them,” Grant added.

The Qantas Assure App works with the Apple Health App on newer Apple electronic devices and pairs with a step tracking wearable that is compatible with Apple Health App such as Apple Watch, Garmin, or Fitbit. Qantas is currently developing an Android App version which will be available later this year.

According to Qantas, about a quarter of Australians now wear a fitness tracker and 41% of them check their activity progress daily.

And I Would Walken Thousand Miles

To sweeten the deal, Qantas is offering Qantas Assure members the chance to earn enough miles to fly from Sydney to London in Economy, Sydney to Hong Kong in Business, or upgrade from Premium Economy to Business between Melbourne and Los Angeles on a Classic Flight Reward booking. This is based on a maximum of 70,000 Qantas Points earned in parts–up to 15,000 points through the App for stepping, up to 50,000 points as sign-up bonus for the Qantas Assure policy, and up to 5,000 points for paying the insurance premium.

Customers can earn 15,000 Qantas Points through the App each year if they staying active. That is enough, Qantas says, to fly from Sydney to Melbourne in Economy (before taxes and fees) leaving 7,000 Qantas Points which customers can use on other products and experiences through Qantas.

“People can literally walk their way closer to their next flight by taking out Qantas Assure health insurance and earning Qantas Points by staying active. These points can be redeemed on flights as well as thousands of other rewards from hotel stays to products from the Qantas Store,” Grant said.

Yeah, I just really like Christopher Walken. But this is a further refinement of Qantas’ strong lifestyle brand.

You can read about how important this is to Qantas’ corporate strategy in this article I wrote for the APEX Association:

Everyday Profits: Qantas CEO on the Importance of Lifestyle Brand Alignment, APEX