Background
The Spot-On™ Travel App Series was originally developed as a portion of the reLAX to LONDON campaign created to spur interest in non-stop flights from L.A. to London. We elected to focus on one of Air New Zealand’s distinctive amenities, their 90+ full time in-flight concierge staffmembers that are dedicated to helping you find your way once you land. The app was well received by the public and Auckland chose to expand the apps across three additional regions.

The iPhone apps guided users to the best spots, pubs, shops – activities typically left out of the tour guide books and held closely by the locals. We reached out to both Air New Zealand concierge staff and contracted local bloggers to augment the content with their own favorite spots. A custom RoR database included a CMS with workflow supporting over 20 different content contributors at various access levels.

As tenfour ported the London app concept to New Zealand, Melbourne and Sydney we began revising our content strategy and working with local tourism boards to provide the bedrock of destination information and then sourced additional local bloggers to focus on the obscure, trendy, and underground attractions that reflected a Kiwi sensibility. Features evolved, with enhanced social sharing mechanisms including a custom postcard builder.

All of the of the original content was also syndicated as feeds (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace) to include those outside of the Apple device realm and provide a taste of what was available once the app was downloaded.

Results
Air New Zealand has been thrilled with the usage and adoption of the apps around the world and is exploring options to grow the effort to other locales. Initial analytics show the average user spending over 40 minutes with the app – with a hefty amount of the traffic coming from locals inside of the highlighted cities. The direct and indirect benefits of creating a branded experience with such utility have continued to pay off for Air New Zealand.

Sample App Description (1 of 4)
On the go and in the air, Sydney.Spot-On will help you make the most of your visit down under. Browse activities and destinations and then save them for quick retrieval upon arrival. Save and share your adventures back home by creating custom postcards with your photos and then posting them to social networks. Whether or not you have WiFi access – the app works offline and will store the important bits directly on your iPhone or iPod.

Highlights:

• Works offline so that you can plan your trip during your Air New Zealand flight there
• Hundreds of pre-loaded activities and destination Spots from Tourism New South Wales
• Postcard builder with dozens of frames, stamps, and captions to entertain your (jealous) friends and fans across Facebook and Twitter
• Travel Notes area for backing up important names, numbers and trip details
• Recommendations from local bloggers and recent travelers
• Automatic content updates of additional activities and events

Helpful tools include:

• Wi-Fi Finder – lists cafés, libraries, and other known establishments with wireless access
• Visual Mapping – see what’s near you on a map when in Sydney
• Call a Cab – one-touch dialing for land or water taxis
• Flickr Integration – see photos that have been taken nearby your current location
• Distance Calculator – estimated flying times between NZ/AUS
• Hostel and B&B Listings – list of budget accommodations and amenities across the North and South Islands
• Aussie Translations – learn the lingo so you can order your coffee just right
• Map of Sydney – pinch, zoom, plot, escape
• App Recommendations – links to other Sydney focused apps to enhance your trip
• Book a flight – direct access to Air New Zealand flight bookings and deals