SIA on contest spree with NatGeo's photography and Mastercard's experiences

National Geographic has launched a photography competition in a bid to inspire Singaporeans to embark on an adventure. Done in partnership with Singapore Airlines (SIA),  the "Uncharted Adventures"  competition challenges budding photographers, avid travellers, and viewers to discover far-off destinations through their camera lens, and showcase their perspectives on what "Uncharted Adventures" mean to them.

Participants will have to capture an image of an uncommon travel destination or a unique travel experience, accompanied with a caption that details how the image tells the story of an "Uncharted Adventure". According to National Geographic, all posts will have to include hashtags such as #UnchartedAdventures and #WorldClassat30KFeet, while tagging @NatGeoAsia and @SingaporeAir.

The contest entries will be judged by a panel of National Geographic and SIA representatives, who will be on the lookout for originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, artistic merit, and subject matter relevance. In a joint statement by National Geographic and SIA, the contest winner will be rewarded with an all-expense paid National Geographic photography expedition to the Swiss Alps and the Italian Lake District for two. The fifteen-day journey will first begin with SIA, and guided by a National Geographic expert throughout to share insights and behind-the-scenes perspectives.

Marketing has reached out to NatGeo and SIA spokesperson for additional information on the use of winning image post-contest.

Meanwhile, SIA has also extended its partnership with Mastercard to launch the KrisFlyer Experiences programme. With this new programme, KrisFlyer members and Mastercard card holders will be able to use their miles on curated activities and privileged access to events. To introduce this to consumers, SIA has launched an "Unbox a New Experience" campaign that calls for KrisFlyer and Mastercard members to correctly guess the experience hidden within a mystery box, and creatively share who he or she would like to bring along for the experience and why.

The contest clues will be shared during the week beginning 13 January 2020, and members will be able to use 100 KrisFlyer miles to make a guess. Guesses will have to be submitted via the KrisFlyerExperiences.com microsite, and the experience hidden in the mystery box will be unveiled on 19 January 2020 at Orchard Central.

“We are pleased to deepen our partnership with Mastercard, giving us greater opportunities to provide additional benefits for KrisFlyer members and Mastercard card holders globally. In addition to offering KrisFlyer members more ways to utilise their miles, KrisFlyer Experiences showcases our commitment to continuously enhancing membership benefits,” said SIA senior vice president marketing planning, Tan Kai Ping.

Deborah Heng, country manager of Singapore, Mastercard said consumers are increasingly looking for unique and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. "Through this new offering with KrisFlyer Experiences, Mastercard and SIA continue to put consumers at the forefront with bespoke benefits and travel rewards to drive meaningful value for them,” she added.

SIA has recently been bolstering its efforts in engaging with the public through contests. In May last year, the national carrier asked Facebook fans to take part in naming the new KrisFlyer mascot. The contest was open to residents in Singapore and other 60 countries across the globe. Conceptualised by TBWA//Group Singapore, a SIA spokesperson told Marketing then, that the engagement campaign aims to drive awareness of the KrisFlyer programme and its benefits.