Discovery Bank | Priority Fast Track · Media innovation

Turning airport queues into a growth platform.

We didn’t advertise in the airport. We removed the worst part of the journey, and turned airport infrastructure into a premium brand experience.

The ACSA issue

COVID severely reduced passenger volumes, dramatically impacting airport commercial revenue and forcing ACSA to rethink how airport infrastructure could generate new value.

The bank’s issue

Discovery Bank’s travel rewards proposition lacked distinctiveness, while a sea of airport media made it difficult to create real impact with its high-value travelling customers.

What if a brand didn’t advertise in the airport, but removed the worst part of the journey?

Consumer tension

For frequent travellers, the airport has become a time-consuming obstacle course. And for busy people, time is the ultimate luxury.

The idea

A Fast Track lane that lets travellers skip the queues. A real utility that gives people back their most valuable resource: time.

In an innovative private–public partnership, Avatar worked with ACSA and the Department of Home Affairs to conceptualise the offering. Discovery Bank came on board as the founding commercial partner, turning Fast Track into a premium benefit for its frequent-travelling customers.

What we delivered

An integrated, omni-channel support programme spanning communications, activations, social, digital and PR.

  • 750kNew Discovery Bank clients since the launch of Priority Fast Track
  • R3bnAnnual revenue contribution from new-to-bank clients
  • 1 400New clients onboarded every single day
  • R520mAnnual revenue influence from Fast Track and travel rewards users
  • 70%Of new bank customers are also new to the Discovery ecosystem
  • 25%Year-on-year client growth

A new growth platform

We brought together ACSA, Home Affairs, airlines and Discovery Bank. Discovery Bank’s client base:

  1. 20190First banking customer onboarded
  2. 2020500 000ACSA partnership agreement
  3. 2021650 000Fast Track introduced at two airports
  4. 2022720 000Expansion: International Arrivals at OR Tambo and Cape Town Domestic
  5. 2023850 000Fast Track usage up to 35% of base
  6. 20241 000 000Seven-digit client base milestone
  7. 20251 250 00025% year-on-year growth

South Africa talking and sharing

  • 3.8×Increase in social posts mentioning “Discovery Bank airport Fast Track”
  • 4.6×Higher engagement than benchmark banking content
  • 68%Positive sentiment in social discussion
  1. Discovery Bank Priority Fast Track welcome stand at O.R. Tambo International
  2. Social post: Skip the queues with Discovery Bank Priority Fast Track
  3. Article: Discovery Bank Priority Fast Track launches at Cape Town International Airport
  4. Social post: Nothing sweeter than the Fast Track
  5. A customer’s post about using Priority Fast Track
  6. Acquisition engine: 70% of new bank customers are also new to the Discovery ecosystem

More work

View all work →