AIMIA, AIRASIA AND THINK BIG DIGITAL FORM PARTNERSHIP
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Aimia Inc., a global leader in loyalty management headquartered in Canada, AirAsia Berhad and Think Big Digital have announced the signing of a partnership agreement for Aimia’s acquisition of a minority stake in Think Big, the owner and operator of BIG – AirAsia and Tune Group’s loyalty program.
Aimia will initially invest approximately (C$16 million) in Think Big, with up to an additional (C$7 million) to be invested if certain milestones are achieved by 31 December, 2015.
The partnership combines AirAsia’s unrivaled success in the Asian market, Tune Group’s portfolio of successful companies including hotels, pre-paid Visa cards, insurance and music companies, and Aimia’s unmatched expertise in the design and management of travel-based loyalty programs, to provide BIG members and partners with a loyalty proposition that is truly rewarding.
“The partnership between AirAsia, Think Big Digital and Aimia is yet another way that AirAsia and Tune Group are innovating and driving change in the Asian airline market – all to the benefit of our members, guests and investors. With its experience running the world’s largest standalone frequent flyer programs, the Aimia team has unique and invaluable insight. We are thrilled to be working together to leverage that knowledge as we continue to grow the AirAsia BIG loyalty program,” said Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, AirAsia and Co-Founder, Tune Group.
“The AirAsia BIG loyalty program is a great opportunity to export Aimia’s coalition business model and to help our clients create deep and lasting relationships with their customers. Through this partnership with AirAsia and Tune Group, we look forward to sharing our experience with this program, while also growing our presence in the high-potential Asian loyalty market,” said Rupert Duchesne, Group Chief Executive, Aimia.
The AirAsia BIG loyalty program continues to benefit from the growing customer base of both AirAsia and Tune Group. It has already attracted a broad coalition of partners ranging from credit card companies, retail stores, petrol stations, and insurance and telecom firms, in addition to the AirAsia and Tune Group family partners.
“With AirAsia’s customer base of over 43 million guests a year, the potential of BIG to deliver deeper, more meaningful relationships to a broad membership base is significant. We believe that this potential extends beyond flight revenues and we look forward to working with all BIG partners to build a cutting-edge program,” said Alice Goh, CEO, AirAsia BIG Loyalty program.
“Asia represents a key region for Aimia as we expand our presence globally, and we believe the partnership between ourselves, AirAsia and Tune Group provides a fantastic platform to further demonstrate our unique capabilities in the loyalty industry. This partnership brings three innovative, forward-thinking brands together for the long-term benefit of our customers,” added Marc Allsop, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Aimia.