Strategic Design Project for Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is transforming from an airline into a premium travel lifestyle brand. The design challenge: How might Cathay Pacific shape the membership program value and experience to be attractive to Chinese consumers and fit into China's unique digital ecosystem?
Our team was invited to act as strategic design consultants to propose a system that drives member acquisition and retention in the Greater China market.
Graduate Projects ｜2026
Membership Background
The loyalty market in China is becoming increasingly competitive and saturated. Many consumers now participate in multiple membership programs across airlines, e-commerce platforms, and payment ecosystems. Consumers increasingly expect loyalty programs to deliver lifestyle relevance, personalised benefits, and meaningful experiences rather than purely transactional rewards.
Primary Research & Insights
We interviewed culturally curious individuals aged 25–44 — people who actively follow cultural and recreational activities in their daily lives. Their core desire: to feel seen and understood as individuals with cultural interests.
This led to our insight: Measure Depth, Not Distance.
Traditional loyalty programs track how far your body moves — but we should measure how deeply your heart is moved. Instead of rewarding transactions, we designed a system that rewards cultural engagement, emotional connection, and personal exploration.
Final Solution
Culture Echo System is a cultural experience-driven membership ecosystem that embeds cultural touchpoints into everyday urban life — turning casual encounters into lasting engagement.
