Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has received the Global Excellence in Performance Marketing accolade at the 2014 Performance Marketing Awards.

The prestigious awards celebrate excellence in online advertising and attracted hundreds of entries across 25 categories this year. The winners were announced during a gala dinner at the Grosvenor House hotel in London, attended by more than 900 international marketing experts.

The category for Global Excellence in Performance Marketing, which is aimed at companies that have operated or expanded their online marketing activities to more than one worldwide territory, included finalists such as Nokia, Sony Europe and Microsoft Shop.  

Etihad Airways was selected as the winner following the successful global expansion of its UK-based online marketing campaign in 2013. Judges were impressed by the “smart execution, expansion and overall success” of the expansion, which was conducted in partnership with the airline’s digital marketing agency DigitasLBi.

The campaign focused on the growth of Etihad Airways’ online affiliate sales program, including its expansion into key European markets such as Italy, France and Germany. In addition, new direct sales partners were recruited in emerging markets such as Brazil, China and India, while partnerships with travel comparison websites were further optimised. The airline also introduced its first email retargeting campaign, initially in English and later in Arabic and other languages.

Overall revenue from the campaign increased by 100 per cent in 2013 compared to the previous year as a result of the global expansion. This included an impressive 107 per cent growth in direct partner revenue and 66 per cent growth in affiliate revenue. – TradeArabia News Service