Soar Beyond with Riety and Air New Zealand | Influencer Marketing 

For young Thai travelers, New Zealand often feels out of reach—beautiful but disconnected, with the lack of direct flights reinforcing that emotional and physical gap.  

Air New Zealand and Vero set out to change that with “Soar Beyond,” a campaign to reframe New Zealand as a place of creative and cultural awakening. The strategy? Inspire through authenticity, not advertising. 

To truly connect with a values-driven Gen Z audience, Air New Zealand needed more than an influencer. It needed a storyteller—someone who could translate the emotional depth of travel into something real, raw, and resonant.  

Enter Riety Pahn, a Thai illustrator and globally exhibited artist with a gift for visual storytelling and a deeply engaged following. Handpicked using Vero’s proprietary influencer identification tool, TrueVibe™, Riety embodied curiosity, creativity, and credibility.  

The strategy was simple, yet bold: Let her experience the journey first and then share it, unscripted and unfiltered. Her itinerary was carefully curated to explore the soul of New Zealand, allowing Riety to connect authentically with its landscapes, people, and culture. And because Riety wasn’t paid an influencer fee, she had complete creative freedom to tell the story her way—anchored in genuine experience, not commercial obligation.

Throughout her journey, Riety documented her experiences through a series of organic videos—serving as a raw, intimate travel diary. From an immersive forest performance and traditional Māori feast to a tranquil boat cruise on Lake Taupo, she captured not just what she saw, but what she felt. 

And as a true artist at heart, Riety translated her journey into original illustrations—featuring motifs like the haka (traditional dance), tā moko (Maori tattoo), the kiwi bird, and native flora—powerful visual notes that honored the beauty and culture of the country.  

To extend the campaign beyond the screen, select illustrations were transformed into limited-edition passport holders and luggage tags that were gifted to followers. 

Riety described her journey to New Zealand as transformative, saying the country inspired her not just creatively, but shifted her perspective. This personal evolution came through in her content, with followers describing the series as “healing.” For many, her videos and illustrations unlocked memories of past trips or reignited a long-held dream of visiting New Zealand. 

For the brand, “Soar Beyond” built a deep emotional connection and fostered top-of-mind awareness among young Thai travelers. Choosing a single influencer allowed Air New Zealand to tell a cohesive, deeply personal story that resonated authentically with Gen Z, amplifying impact rather than diluting it across multiple voices—and the results exceeded expectations.

“Soar Beyond” has been shortlisted for the SABRE Awards Asia Pacific 2025 in the Southeast Asia campaign category.