Hawaiian Airlines to be acquired by Alaska Airlines (Score 53)

Sales lead: HA will likely revise its marketing strategy & review its agency roster under new ownership. 

• Hawaiian Airlines (HA) has been purchased by Alaska Airlines (AA) for reportedly $1.9b.
• The combined company will be headquartered in Seattle, WA, and led by AA CEO Ben Minicucci. 
• The deal is still subject to US regulator's approval. 

Target demographic: Gen-X & millennial travelers

The company will likely:

• Continue increasing national TV spend
• Try new marketing channels
• Review agency roster

Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)

• YTD spend: HA spent around $93k on national TV ads YTD, a 50% increase from $41.4k spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022. 
• 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend jumped from $21.4k in 2021 to $67.2k in 2022. 
• Ad programming: It placed ads during programming such as College Basketball, NBA Basketball, High School Football, Brooklyn Nets Pregame, and TurfWars Invitational: Adult Kickball Championship. 

Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)

• YTD spend: HA spent about $2.2m on digital display ads YTD, down 35% from $3.4m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022. 
• YTD data: 325.6m impressions via Facebook (56%), Instagram (38%), YouTube (3%), desktop display (1%), and mobile display (1%). 
• 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend equaled $3.7m in 2021 and $3.5m in 2022. 
• Ad location: It placed 99% of these ads directly onto sites such as facebook.com, instagram.com, youtube.com, tripadvisor.com, and skyscanner.com. It placed 1% of these ads indirectly through Zeta onto sites such as tripadvisor.com, lipstickalley.com, expedia.com, accuweather.com, and azlyrics.com. 

Additional channel insights  

• HA also invests in OOH, print, and local broadcast. 
• Top podcasts sponsored: Pat Gray Unleashed, The Always Sunny Podcast, Dave & Chuck the Freak: Full Show, The Doug Stanhope Podcast, and The Travel Diaries. 

Agency analysis:

• Opportunity: Get in touch soon because the acquisition could lead to roster shifts. 
• Current roster:
  • MullenLowe U.S. Los Angeles: creative AOR
  • Mediahub Global Los Angeles: media buying & planning
  • J Public Relations: PR