HONG KONG – McCann Worldgroup and Cathay Pacific have created an innovative birthday gift titled the “Artmap Project,” for over one million members of the Marco Polo Club, the airline’s loyalty programme.
Marco Polo Club members will receive a bespoke work of contemporary Chinese art via email on their birthday, inspired by their own travels with Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon over the past year.
Created by marrying member travel data with a tailor-made art algorithm, each member’s ‘painted journey’ is a beautifully crafted, customised digital artwork that celebrates their movements around the world.
Julian Lyden, General Manager Marketing, Loyalty Programmes and CRM explains: “We are always searching for new ways to add value for our passengers. To find a way to use terabits of cold hard data and turn it into something personal, beautiful and truly meaningful for each of our most loyal members is a very special thing.”
Elaine Lee, Manager, Loyalty Marketing added: “Rather than send a mass-produced impersonal birthday greeting, we wanted to make a more meaningful connection with all of our tier members. Artmap creates some real emotional value for our members. Each Artmap is hosted on a mini-site, where members witness their piece painting itself before their eyes, elegantly illustrating their year of travel. If they choose, members can then print a hi-resolution copy of their birthday artwork for framing.”
A specially-designed digital brushstroke tool creates a completely new painting for each member, with no two artworks the same. The tool is also designed to give each Artmap its contemporary Chinese calligraphy look and feel, inspired by Cathay Pacific’s iconic Brushwing brand identity.
The Artmap Project has been designed in collaboration with McCann Worldgroup, renowned Hong Kong-based digital artist Henry Chu, and ICLP.
Martin Lever, Executive Creative Director, McCann Cathay Pacific Central Team adds: “As the airline that believes in traveling well, it’s crucial that we help Cathay Pacific genuinely move their passengers in fresh and exciting ways, even when they are not traveling. The Artmap Project is one such way – a memorable celebration of journeys past, and a powerful inspiration of journeys to come.”
