British Airways recruits pilots through YouTube

BA has used YouTube to recruit potential employees for the first time. The video, promoting the 'Future Pilot Programme', features British Airways pilots describing their roles and the benefits of being able to travel the globe with BA.

The recruitment is British Airways biggest in a decade and aims to take on over 800 pilots by 2016 and will help people to secure funding for private training costs.

There will also be a joint initiative with the UK Armed Forces to provide military pilots with a planned career path into commercial aviation.

You can view the video below:



BA has recently appointed content marketing agency Wardour to create a number of campaigns through video, posters, social media and e-mail, which aim to "inspire pride" in the company.

Amanda Poole, deputy head of internal communications at British Airways says: “We are moving in to an exciting time at British Airways and we wanted an agency that could bring to life our sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, our support of Comic Relief through our Flying Start programme and really engage our staff in the brand.”

Thomas Cook under pressure over debt levels and poor performance

Holiday giant Thomas Cook has posted £25m losses in the three months up to 30th June, blaming their debt and poor performance on the unrest in Northern Africa and the Middle East. Countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and key for the company, and the company said in its interim management statement: "This impact is a result of low volumes and margins in the affected areas where we have been operating at approximately 60% of normal levels."

They have also announced a complete review of their services, with an intention to strengthen the Thomas Cook brand, review its in-house airline and to improve its pricing and product differentiation: "The board have begun to review these plans and we will update the market on the strategic direction of the UK business in due course."

The company have also been hit by the departure of group chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa 'with immediate effect' after the Thomas Cook share price plummeted from more than 150p in early June, to just 60p recently. The current deputy to the group CEO, Sam Weihagen will take over on an interim basis.

Cox & Kings in £450m takeover of Holidaybreak

Holidaybreak, who specialise in adventure travel, education and weekend breaks, are the subject of a 450m takeover from the luxury travel company Cox & Kings, who are listed in India. Holidaybreak have confirmed the takeover discussions on their website, following press speculation. The statement reads: "Further to the announcement on 25 July 2011 and recent press speculation, the Board of Holidaybreak confirms that it is in discussions with Cox & Kings Limited which may or may not lead to an offer for Holidaybreak at a price of 432.1 pence in cash per ordinary share."

 However, they also added: "At this stage there can be no certainty that any offer for the company will be forthcoming." Travel Weekly reported that Holidaybreak shares climed 15% on Monday, after the company, which makes it's money through school trips and weekend breaks, admitted that the discussions may lead to a takeover. Last month, Holidaybreak reported pre-tax losses of £19.2 million, and in the same month it sold it's theatre ticketing agency, West End Theatre Bookings, to Encore Tickets for £10.9 million.

Are you a multilingual marketer? Consider a job in online travel

With increasing numbers of people searching for and buying airline tickets, train tickets, hotel rooms and holidays online,it is perhaps no surprise that the major players in the market are currently looking expand and reposition themselves, in order to ensure a larger slice of the pie. Last week, global online travel brand Expedia looked to reposition itself as a 'trusted travel partner' through a global advertising campaign, in an attempt to move away from the 'online discount' brand strategy followed by the bulk of its competitors. Expedia are pulling no punches with their £40m 'People Shaped Travel' campaign, overseen by advertising heavyweights Ogilvy and Mather, and are emphasising the 'human face' of the brand in a new series of TV adverts featuring Expedia employees showing their passion for travel. 

The move is thought to be a response to lastminute.com's decision to embark on brand realignment earlier this year, when they moved to a concept of telling 'unforgettable stories' in their first pan-European advertising campaign, which was also designed to distinguish them from the crowded discount market. Expedia also recently lost it's prestigious Eurostar contract to Orbitz, but due to the booming European travel market, it's stock price rose to to a more than healthy $30.60. Closer to home, UK website thetrainline.com has moved into the thriving European market, cutting a deal with Rail Europe to sell Interrailing tickets from its website, which now offers travel to 29 European Countries. 

These major moves in online travel have cleared the way for multi-lingual marketers says Chris Crawford, head of BD Recruitment: "...more and more we are being asked to find multilingual marketers, with companies looking for a more global feel, so people who have SEO and PPC skills but have worked in European markets and can apply content and search strategies in (usually) Spanish, Dutch and German." Although this has lead to an influx of European job seekers coming to London to fill this need, pricing many of their British counterparts out of the market, the market is going from strength to strength and it may be wise to develop your digital marketing career in this direction if you have language skills, as competition at the top digital agencies becomes more intense.