Out Of Office email becomes a marketing tool

Australian airline Qantas have launched a service that allows holidaymakers to link their automatic Out Of Office email to Instagram photos of their trip.

In 2015, Instagram was forecasted to bring in USD 595 million in mobile advertising revenue. With over 400 million active users, 60% of whom log in daily, it is one of the most powerful marketing tools out there, and brands are increasingly using it to engage with consumers. One of the most positive examples of this is a campaign that asks users to take down photos of food in exchange for a donation to charity. Now, Australian airline Qantas is using Instagram to power its ‘Out Of Office’ reply service.

Launched in September, the free service connects an email address with Instagram, and updates the out off office auto reply message with selected holiday photos from their feed. To participate, holidaymakers simply need to register their Instagram account and email address on the website, then enter their dates, destination and a message. People can choose which images make up their auto reply message by tagging them with #qantasoutofoffice, and the service also works with private Instagram accounts.

Qantas Group Executive Brand, Marketing & Corporate Affairs Olivia Wirth, explains that the airline hoped the new out of office travelogue would inspire more colleagues, friends and family to travel the world. “Whether it’s a snap of a traveller relaxing under a palm tree in the Whitsundays, or sampling dumplings in Hong Kong, the images will create travel envy and travel aspirations.” How else will we see Instagram used in marketing in the future?