Northwest Airlines’ Campaign to Support Quake Relief Effort

I received numerous promotional emails from Northwest Airlines every week. But this one I received today caught my attention. Its subject line was “Opportunity to support China earthquake relief efforts". The message…

Dear Fanny Lawren,

The earthquake that struck Sichuan, China on May 12 was devastating to millions of people. NWA’s AirCares® partner The Salvation Army is actively participating in the disaster relief efforts to help survivors who are suffering from the loss of their homes, belongings and loved ones.

If you would like to help, here are two ways that you can support this important relief effort:

1. Give Miles - Transfer WorldPerks miles to The Salvation Army in any increment and Northwest Airlines will match WorldPerks mileage transfers of up to a total of one million WorldPerks miles. Transfer miles online or if you prefer, call 1-800-327-2881. Make sure to have your WorldPerks number 123456789 and PIN ready.

2. Give Money - Donate $50 or more directly to The Salvation Army and receive 500 WorldPerks Bonus Miles. Information on donating money to AirCares partners may be found at www.nwa.com/corpinfo/aircares/donate

Thank you for your support!

I think this is a smart campaign, at least from branding perspective. I suppose I got the message because I flew NWA to Asia couple times. But I would be curious to know how exactly the marketer segment their customers.

Another Asian Marketing lesson: Be responsive to social events.