The Pursuit to Recruit
PROBLEM: Philippines’ #1 budget airline at the time, had a very unique challenge: Their number of flyers and flights outnumber their pilots.
INSIGHT: For most Filipinos, even dreaming of becoming a pilot is out of reach due to the immense cost of training.
Big Idea: Help hopeful Filipinos from all walks of life reach their dreams with the Cadet Pilot Program– a 96-week, “Study Now, Pay Later” system that recruit candidates to train to become licensed commercial pilots.
Credits: Creative Director - Russ Molina, Maki Correa, Rina dela Calzada, Art Director - Sam Vargas, Natassja Velasco, Angel Ramos, Renzo Viray
Hinging on the “Dream” with action-oriented copy and uplifting, authoritative visuals, we created a campaign that sought to encourage hopeful applicants to “Just go” and take the first step to becoming a commercial pilot.
The campaign was launched on the airline’s social media pages, along with several press releases in the Manila Times and Philippine Star.
This was also accompanied by article releases on several aviation-centered blogs and websites such as afm.aero.
Capt. Samuel Avila II, CEB Vice President for Flight Operations, emphasized the program's unique value:
“We’re thrilled to offer aspiring pilots the opportunity to become commercially licensed through our Cadet Pilot Program. Currently, we are the only airline in the Philippines with such a program. This initiative will allow us to produce highly skilled pilots ready to provide safe, convenient, and reliable flights for every Juan.”
The results?
Thousands of dreamers applied to the program.
Within the first month of the campaign launch via newsprint and digital, more than a thousand applicants expressed their interest in becoming Cebu Pacific’s very first batch of would-be pilots– Seeing a 138% increase on the main airline’s website and over 100+ emails from hopefuls across the country.