City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
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Articles by Kirby
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How Jet A1 Has Fueled the Rise in Airfares in South Africa
How Jet A1 Has Fueled the Rise in Airfares in South Africa
By Kirby Gordon
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You're a digital marketer with a limited budget. How can you get the most bang for your buck?
Two things are pretty key. The first is to make sure your destination is on point. Have you optimised your funnel and your UX? Is the site engaging and ready? Have you ticked all the technical SEO boxes? People so often overlook the very basic things like site maps and meta tags. Do everything before you spend money. Then when you get some results, talk about them. Make sure that decision makers see and understand what you’ve achieved so that they’re open to investing more into what you are doing.
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What is the difference between a codeshare and an interline agreement?
Codeshares and interline agreements are very similar but codeshares are possibly better viewed as tighter connections between the two airlines. In both agreements airlines agree to sell one another’s seats. Codeshares are deeper engagements in that that seat will be marketed and sold under the code and brand of the marketing airline, even though the airline operating the flight is different. In codeshare agreements, unlike interline agreements, the marketing carrier will honour points to loyalty programmes, ensure that the level of service offered is akin to what they sell for each class of travel and often subject the partner carrier to safety and service audits.
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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫… Rule number one of radio: “Avoid in-jokes. You may find them hilarious, but they alienate the…
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫… Rule number one of radio: “Avoid in-jokes. You may find them hilarious, but they alienate the…
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Licenses & Certifications
Projects
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FlySafair Springbok Sponsorhip
By 2016, South Africa's domestic aviation sector was marked by numerous failures, leaving only a handful of successful airlines. These survivors were quick to highlight their longevity, positioning the relatively new FlySafair as an outsider.
Despite FlySafair's backing by a venerable African aviation company with over 50 years of history, its commercial passenger division had only been operational for two years. Establishing trust and credibility was crucial.
Rather than…By 2016, South Africa's domestic aviation sector was marked by numerous failures, leaving only a handful of successful airlines. These survivors were quick to highlight their longevity, positioning the relatively new FlySafair as an outsider.
Despite FlySafair's backing by a venerable African aviation company with over 50 years of history, its commercial passenger division had only been operational for two years. Establishing trust and credibility was crucial.
Rather than launching a traditional marketing campaign, Chief Marketing Officer Kirby Gordon identified a unique opportunity. Leveraging South Africa's passionate rugby fanbase, he negotiated an exclusive four-year sponsorship with the national rugby team, gaining field exposure at local matches. This partnership not only elevated FlySafair's profile but also solidified its market presence.
The strategy paid off, significantly boosting consumer confidence and earning the airline recognition from business partners. FlySafair has since become South Africa's leading airline, forming interline agreements with major global carriers.
Meanwhile, the Springboks have enjoyed their own success, winning the Rugby World Cup twice, in 2019 and again in 2023, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between the airline and the national rugby team.Other creators -
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Sanlam National Start Something Day
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Being a diversified financial services firm, Sanlam's focus in on the future of our clients. The corporate payoff line is presentely "start with what you hope for" and when we accessed the broader middle market in South Africa is became apparent that hopes were not the issue, but that "starting" was.
With the objective of creating awarness and relevance in the youth and lower middle markets, while driving consideration and conversion in the mature upper middle market, we set about trying…Being a diversified financial services firm, Sanlam's focus in on the future of our clients. The corporate payoff line is presentely "start with what you hope for" and when we accessed the broader middle market in South Africa is became apparent that hopes were not the issue, but that "starting" was.
With the objective of creating awarness and relevance in the youth and lower middle markets, while driving consideration and conversion in the mature upper middle market, we set about trying to get South Africans to make those starts.
The National Start Something Day campaign ran with great success in 2011, so much so that it's being repeated in 2012 with bigger budgets.Other creators -
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Sanlam The Destination
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Facing a lack of relevance in the youth market in South Africa, we were seeking a way to bring Sanlam into the conversations had by young people. Born of our insights on this marekt we developed a website that offers young people the opportunity to learn all the lessons that "we were never taught in school". Practical tools and tips provide relevant guidance for young people looking to make their way in the world, withe the implicit message that Sanlam and our highly qualified team of…
Facing a lack of relevance in the youth market in South Africa, we were seeking a way to bring Sanlam into the conversations had by young people. Born of our insights on this marekt we developed a website that offers young people the opportunity to learn all the lessons that "we were never taught in school". Practical tools and tips provide relevant guidance for young people looking to make their way in the world, withe the implicit message that Sanlam and our highly qualified team of intermediaries are there to help along the way.
The project was promoted digitally and through social media and found great success in its' first year, 2011. 2012's version promises to be a step up with an expanded promotion budget and fantastic new content.Other creators -
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FlySafair Artists On Board
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FlySafair revolutionized the skies with its pioneering campaign, transforming its aircraft into flying galleries that showcased local art. This innovative move not only solidified FlySafair's position as the "carrier of the nation," despite not being South Africa's national airline, but also championed the talents of emerging local artists by featuring their work as cabin wallpaper. Launched in 2023 and repeated in 2024 due to its overwhelming success, the campaign garnered extensive positive…
FlySafair revolutionized the skies with its pioneering campaign, transforming its aircraft into flying galleries that showcased local art. This innovative move not only solidified FlySafair's position as the "carrier of the nation," despite not being South Africa's national airline, but also championed the talents of emerging local artists by featuring their work as cabin wallpaper. Launched in 2023 and repeated in 2024 due to its overwhelming success, the campaign garnered extensive positive media coverage and was celebrated by passengers and crew alike for the vibrant and inspiring cabin environments it created.
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FlySafair Business Booster
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A marketing campaign with a difference to make a difference. Having grown in size and influence FlySafair wanted to appeal to the Small and Medium Enterprise Market with a campaign that not only raised awareness but that raised the profile of small businesses in South Africa.
This campaign offered winners a package designed to enhance their business visibility and networking opportunities, including 10 return Business Class flights with FlySafair. This prize facilitates important…A marketing campaign with a difference to make a difference. Having grown in size and influence FlySafair wanted to appeal to the Small and Medium Enterprise Market with a campaign that not only raised awareness but that raised the profile of small businesses in South Africa.
This campaign offered winners a package designed to enhance their business visibility and networking opportunities, including 10 return Business Class flights with FlySafair. This prize facilitates important business meetings across different locations, helping businesses to expand their reach and operational capabilities.
Additionally, winners receive a full-page advertisement in FlySafair's InFlight magazine, a profile feature on the competition's Wall of Fame, and extensive coverage across all of FlySafair's social media platforms. The winners were also invited to an exclusive event at the FlySafair Head Offices to interact with and pitch their solutions to the airline's wide network of business partners. This wide-ranging exposure aims to significantly boost the brand visibility of the winning businesses among diverse audiences.
To participate, entrepreneurs and business owners are invited to submit an elevator pitch of their company through the FlySafair Business Booster Competition website. The pitch needed to detail their primary products or services, successes, challenges, and target market. A panel of judges reviews these submissions, selecting a winner each week over six weeks.
This campaign underscored FlySafair's commitment to fostering business growth and economic recovery, especially in the context of the challenges posed by the pandemic. It highlights the role of airlines in not just facilitating travel but in driving economic connectivity and development by supporting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are crucial to the South African economy.Other creators -
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English
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Afrikaans
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