For the past twenty-two years, WestJet has been known as a low-cost domestic carrier. However, with the 2019 launch of their new 787 Dreamliners, WestJet will be recognized as a true global carrier. In addition to this exciting fleet expansion, WestJet is rebranding with their new positioning 'Love Where You're Going'. With seven successful WestJet Christmas campaigns already completed, how could this year's approach continue to resonate with our audience in an ever-changing digital landscape while changing perceptions about WestJet's brand and services on a global scale?
Business Challenge:
Insight
More than 160 countries around the world celebrate Christmas every year with their own unique traditions. Of all these traditions, the most universal is the desire to be with loved ones over the holidays
Creative solution
We celebrated the traditions of people all over the world during the holidays by sending Blue Santa on an epic global journey – visiting sixteen different countries across six continents to capture the people, places and fun facts of each destination in documentary style videos. Using a digital advent calendar as our content hub, we released a unique piece of content everyday starting December 1st through to the 25th.
Through a structured social content plan, we developed four specific content buckets to keep our audiences engaged throughout the entire month. (Featured; Blue Santa; Real-time & Bonus). First, we launched a one minute teaser video that drove interest in the program. Then, on day two we released our hero video, reuniting three separate groups in an emotive long format video that encapsulated the essence of being together over the Holidays.
Blue Santa was interspersed throughout the calendar in videos of two minutes or less featuring specific traditions from around the globe. Based on social listening during the campaign, we activated on two surprise and delight videos in true WestJet Christmas form. In real-time, we plucked two stories from our guests Facebook comments and orchestrated a surprise between family members, giving them free flights to reunite. Finally, using footage captured from the road, we created additional lighthearted content to support the campaign and keep the work fresh.
Overall, this campaign demonstrated that, we may come from different places, but we are all united through traditions.
Twenty-five videos were shared on the WestJet Facebook feed and designated content hub, reaching 438 million earned media impressions. They generated over 8 million video views and an impressive 19% increase in organic views year over year. We amplified social interest by targeting the media spend to different audiences from the countries we visited domestically. This drove relevance, organic engagements and opened us up to new audiences that might not be as familiar with the brand. Overall, the campaign generated $11 million in direct sales which is a 27% increase year over year.
Throughout the campaign we learned one simple truth: No matter where you are from, the most important tradition of all is being together over the holidays. WestJet is here to make that happen.
