The AirAsia Media Playbook: Integrating Travel Experiences

About The Guest:

Mahek Shah is the Global Head of Media at Airasia (AirAsia Media & Airasia Ads).

Mahek is an integrated marketing and communications professional with rich digital marketing and product development experience. She started her career in advertising with successful stints at Ogilvy, IPG Mediabrands, Lion & Lion and Wavemaker before AirAsia.

Timestamps:

00:00 - 03:40 Cold Opening, Sponsor Message, Guest Intro

03:41 - 05:51 The Evolution of Marketing: A Marketer's Journey from Traditional to Digital

05.52 - 07:32 Shifting Skills for Modern Marketers: From Fragmented to Integrated Experts

07:33 - 09:52 A Two-Pronged Approach to Strategic Planning and Inventory Monetization

09:53 - 11:20 First-Party Data Monetization: Leveraging Brand Ecosystems for Partnerships

11:21 - 14:25 Redefining the Travel Experience: Building an Immersive End-to-End Ecosystem

14:26 - 18:34 The Insourcing Trend: Why Brands Are Bringing Marketing In-House

18:35 - 25:54 Redefining Agency Value: From Execution to Consultative Problem-Solving

25:55 - 30:47 AirAsia Move: Redefining Travel as a Seamless End-to-End Experience

30:48 - 36:45 Redefining Travel Marketing: Working with Endemic and Non-Endemic Brands

36:46 - 40:30 First-Party Data and Ad Tech: Building Seamless Customer Experiences

40:31 - 41:51 Marketing Campaigns that Inspired Mahek

41:52 - 43:00 Why Mahek Admires Amazon’s Business Model

43:01 - 44.53 Marketers who Inspired Mahek

44.54 - 47:26 Mahek Shah’s Book Recommendations

47:27 - 50:36 Dynamic Digital Out-of-Home: AirAsia's Campaign to sell 7 Million Tickets

50:38 - 53:30 Advice to a Marketing Student at University

Key takeaways from this conversation

1. Marketing has evolved significantly, shifting from traditional offline methods to a digital landscape that's constantly changing.
2. Modern marketers need to be multifaceted, integrating data, digital, and technology skills to deliver cohesive customer experiences.
3. Brands are insourcing marketing tasks like media buying and content creation for faster turnaround times, better brand custodianship, and cost savings.
4. Agencies must redefine their value proposition, moving from execution to strategic consultative partnerships that solve business problems.
5. AirAsia's "Super App" vision is to provide a seamless end-to-end travel experience, from booking flights and hotels to local transportation.
6. The Super App ecosystem allows AirAsia to monetize its assets through retail media and partnerships with endemic (travel-related) and non-endemic brands.
7. First-party data and ad tech solutions enable AirAsia to target audiences on and off its platforms for better conversions.
8. Integrating multiple technology platforms is the future of media, enabling seamless customer experiences across channels.
9. Mahek admires Amazon for its progressive business model and aspires to build a similar media ecosystem.
10. Philip Kotler's work and cultural literature have influenced Mahek's marketing approach.
11. A recent 7 million seat sale campaign leveraged programmatic digital out-of-home advertising for dynamic, real-time targeting.
12. Mahek advises aspiring marketers to understand data, derive actionable insights, and focus on connecting with consumers.
13. Campaigns

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