Search
PR
AI Visibility
Social
Using Influencer Marketing to Drive AFCON Awareness & Revenue for Royal Air Maroc
How an influencer campaign built around fan journeys turned Africa Cup of Nations excitement into travel demand for Royal Air Maroc's UK to Morocco routes.
2.5M
Organic campaign views
256K
Total engagements
£87.5K+
Earned Media Value
The Brief
Royal Air Maroc came to us with a clear objective. As the official airline partner of the Africa Cup of Nations, they needed to turn that partnership into real consideration among UK audiences at the exact moment fans were thinking about travelling.
The Plan
The opportunity sat within the culture of the tournament itself. AFCON is followed, travelled to, and experienced in real life. The role of the campaign was to place Royal Air Maroc inside that journey, making the airline feel like the natural route for fans heading to Morocco. This required moving quickly to get ahead of peak tournament momentum, reaching UK audiences with genuine ties to North African football, and converting that energy into actual travel demand.
We built an influencer strategy centred on fan experience, using travel as the connective layer rather than the lead message. Within three weeks of contract signature, four creators were live, selected for their relevance to UK audiences with crossover into North African communities, their proven engagement within football content, and their strength in short-form video formats where tournament behaviour is concentrated.
The campaign was anchored by a high-value competition offering flights and tickets to the AFCON final. Instead of running this as a standalone mechanic, creators embedded it within their own journeys, from check-in through to matchday. This ensured the brand appeared as part of the experience rather than an interruption within it.
Spotlight Campaigns
Influencer-Led Travel Storytelling
Creators documented the full journey from the UK to Morocco, capturing check-in moments, in-flight experiences, arrival, and the energy surrounding the tournament. Content leaned into formats that audiences already engage with during major sporting events, from short-form video and Stories to matchday lifestyle coverage.
The result was a continuous narrative that audiences could follow end to end. Creators such as @thodgen, @mashhoursalma and @mrjameshumble brought this to life with content grounded in real fan experience.
Competition Activation
We created a competition offering fans the chance to win flights and tickets to the AFCON final. Influencers introduced the giveaway through content that combined competition messaging with their own travel journeys to the tournament with Royal Air Maroc.
To extend the campaign beyond a single moment, additional match tickets were allocated to creators. This allowed us to keep them on the ground throughout the tournament, producing live stories from both flights and stadiums, and maintaining a consistent presence across their channels.
The competition acted as both a discovery driver and an engagement engine. It was embedded within creator storytelling rather than delivered as a standalone promotion, allowing it to sit naturally within feeds and align with audience expectations.
By integrating real matchday experiences, the campaign sustained momentum across multiple days. Instead of a single spike, content continued to build over time, keeping Royal Air Maroc visible throughout the tournament window.
Live Match Coverage
Coverage extended beyond travel into the tournament itself. Creators shared continuous updates across boarding, in-flight moments, behind-the-scenes stadium access, and live fan reactions.
This always-on approach aligned with how football audiences consume content during major tournaments. Attention is not fixed to a single moment, it is ongoing, and the campaign matched that behaviour.
the results
The campaign generated 2.5 million organic views and 256,000 engagements, with a 10% engagement rate that outperformed typical airline benchmarks. Royal Air Maroc’s social following grew by 7.1% during the campaign, from an audience already engaged with both football and travel.
Content continued delivering well beyond the initial competition window, with 90 days of cumulative grid post-playtime extending visibility and reinforcing brand recall over time. This translated into £87,565 in earned media value and a 2.57 return on investment, demonstrating the commercial impact of embedding the brand within fan-led storytelling.
Why It Worked
The campaign worked because it aligned the brand with genuine fan behaviour. Travel was framed through lived experience, from departure through to matchday, allowing Royal Air Maroc to sit within the journey rather than alongside it.
Speed played a defining role. Launching within three weeks meant the campaign captured early tournament momentum while audience attention was still building. Creator selection ensured credibility, with strong ties to football and North African communities directly influencing engagement quality.
Sustained storytelling extended the campaign’s impact. By keeping creators active across multiple matchdays, the campaign built reach and watch time, turning what could have been a single spike into a prolonged period of visibility.
