A David and
Goliath Story

Having just spent billions to launch a new commercial aircraft, Embraer needed to find a way to carve out a position in a category dominated by behemoths like Airbus and Boeing. And they needed to do it fast. The brand lacked the global clout needed to challenge its heavyweight rivals.

The question became: How does a lesser-known challenger gain the fame and admiration needed to succeed in a market where buying cycles can be measured in decades, decision makers are varied and difficult to engage, and where purchase choices are traditionally based on product features, performance, and price? By seeking distinctiveness befitting its cultural origins.

Facing a market dominated by aerospace giants and characterized by long buying cycles and thin margins, Embraer saw an opportunity to redefine its position by addressing the core challenge every airline faces: achieving sustainable profitability.

We knew we could be ambitious. Having developed Embraer’s corporate brand on the theme ‘We live for the challenge’. When we chose to do something which broke all category conventions, we were confident the client would rise to the challenge too.

As always, finding a lasting solution starts with uncovering an ingenious insight. The research we undertook uncovered a simple but powerful truth—the challenge for every airline is making and maintaining a sustainable profit in a thin margin industry.

We created The Profit Hunter nickname to represent this truth, the product, and the needs of the market, defying the market convention of alphanumeric naming of aircraft.

We also brought The Profit Hunter to life by creating predator personas from the natural world specific to the target market region. We created a distinctive name and personality that competitors couldn’t rival for impact by using the biggest mobile canvas available—the aircraft.

As a result, Embraer emerged as David in a marketplace previously dominated by Goliaths.

The Profit Hunter landed over $15 billion in orders within 12 months of the program’s launch and rose to become the world’s most loved brand in their market.

The Profit Hunter marketing program has been described by LinkedIn as the world's most successful. It is also the world’s most awarded, winning over 400 awards for marketing excellence.