1. Background
Established in 2006, Porter Airlines has
quickly grown into a successful regional
carrier. With a fleet of 26 turboprop
planes based at Billy Bishop Toronto City
Airport (formerly Toronto Island Airport),
the company provides regular service
to more than a dozen cities in Canada,
including Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax,
and several U.S. cities, such as New York,
Chicago, Boston and Washington. From
the outset, Porter has differentiated
itself from other airlines by providing all
passengers free access to small luxuries
such as cappuccino, snacks, Internet
service and comfortable, handsomely
decorated lounges.
Marketing strategy
and challenge
Marketing contributes to Porter’s success
by raising awareness of the company’s
brand, which is elegantly captured by the
slogan “Flying Refined.” Porter advertises
regularly in a wide range of media,
including newspapers, magazines,
billboards, radio and social media,
and occasionally conducts direct-mail
campaigns. The company often stages
time-limited seat sales; in virtually every
case, competing airlines immediately
match Porter’s discounted fares. In 2011,
Porter faced a new and significant
challenge: find new ways of connecting
with its loyal passengers.
Canada Post
solution
To demonstrate the value of the
Addressed Admail, Lettermail and
Expedited Parcel services, Canada Post
partnered with Porter on a test
campaign. The campaign was designed
to reward repeat customers and build
their perception of the company’s
brand. For the purposes of the campaign,
Porter assigned each member of its
loyalty program—known as VIPorter—
to different groups based on frequency
of travel. Using the Addressed Admail,
Lettermail and Expedited Parcel services,
Success Stories
For more information about the Addressed Admail, Lettermail and
Expedited Parcel services, please visit canadapost.ca
Porter Airlines
Addressed Admail™, Lettermail™ and Expedited Parcel™ services help
build airline’s unique brand.
CLIENT: Porter Airlines
SECTOR: Air travel
GOAL: Reward customers,
and build brand awareness
and identity
SOLUTION: The Addressed
Admail, Lettermail and
Expedited Parcel services
“ Canada Post’s
Addressed Admail
service connects us
with our customers in
a personalized way.”
James Positano,
Porter Airlines
DK11963
™ Trademarks of Canada Post Corporation.
Porter then sent a gift to each member
along with a notification of a time-
limited seat sale. Porter tracked
bookings closely.
Results
The test campaign demonstrated the
unique ability of the Addressed Admail
service to cost effectively connect with
customers. Sales revenues generated by
the service were much greater than
anticipated and delivered a significantly
higher ROI. The Addressed Admail
campaign represented 50 per cent of
the overall campaign revenues—despite
representing just a fraction of the cost
of the other mass-market tactics (such as
full-page ads in national newspapers).
“There’s no doubt that the gifts and
letters connected with customers and
drove the campaign’s success,” says
James Positano, Porter’s Manager of
Loyalty and Relationship Marketing.
“Many VIPorter members got in touch
with us to say how impressed they were
to receive personalized letters.” The
results were so positive, Porter ran a
second, similar campaign and plans to
increase its use of Canada Post services
in the future.