Case Study: British Airways boosts Pittsburgh-to-London demand with Gatesman’s experiential PR campaign

British Airways drives 19.1M social reach with Gatesman

British Airways, in partnership with VisitBritain, faced the challenge of driving demand for its new nonstop flight from Pittsburgh to London. The destination lacked the immediate excitement of more exotic European locations. To educate the market and boost ticket sales, British Airways enlisted the marketing agency Gatesman to create a campaign that would make a big splash in the Pittsburgh area prior to the flight's launch.

Gatesman created an experiential campaign centered around a replica British telephone booth placed in high-traffic Pittsburgh locations. When the booth rang, participants could answer trivia or complete challenges to win prizes, and sharing photos on social media entered them to win flight tickets. The campaign generated extensive media coverage, achieving 7.6 million earned media impressions and a social reach of 19.1 million. Most significantly, Gatesman's work made potential travelers 51% more likely to consider Great Britain for a vacation.

British Airways