WestJet Flight Light

Over the last year or so, I have seen more and more brands from different industries actively experimenting with new ways to move beyond selling their products and providing their consumers with “convenience services” that eventually drive repeat usage / purchase of the product.

In this latest example, WestJet wanted to give their business travelers the ability to pursue opportunities, without losing connection with their loved ones at home. So, they created WestJet Flight Light, a nightlight that used live flight data to project a WestJet flight path onto a child’s bedroom ceiling. This simple device made the countdown of the hours and minutes to the parents return even more fun and interactive for the children waiting at home.

The prototype of the Flight Light is going to be in beta-testing throughout this summer. To stay updated visit the Flight Light homepage for more information.

Automated Thanking Machine

Start with the smile of your audience, and then work back from there. That is the key to most of the successful marketing campaigns. Coca-Cola has done a great job with their various happiness campaigns, followed by WestJet’s christmas campaign where they surprised their passengers with gifts.

Now TD Canada Trust for their “TD Thanks You” campaign converted select ATM machines in their Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver branches into special Automated Thanking Machines. Then 20 hand picked customers were requested to test out these new ATMs. To their surprise the ATM knew their names, talked back to them and eventually even gave them ultra cool gifts. The reactions were captured on video, which in the last 8 days has already got 4.9 million YouTube views.

Duracell Moments of Warmth

In a winter of ice storms and a polar vortex, moments of warmth are few and far between. So to change that, Duracell Quantum batteries in Canada retrofitted bus shelters with heaters. But the only way to get the heaters to work were through a human connection i.e. people joining their hands…

Christmas Surprise

It’s that time of the year again! So here is my last and very Christmassy post for the year. 😉

Airports during the holiday season are generally filled with disgruntled people facing delays, lost luggage and other mishaps. So Canadian airline, WestJet decided to use this moment to treat weary travelers with a Christmas miracle.

With the help of a virtual Santa Claus, the airline asked unsuspecting passengers waiting to board their flights to Calgary from Toronto and Hamilton International Airports what they had on their Christmas wishlists this year.

Then with more than 150 WestJet employees they set about playing Santa’s elves, gathering personalized presents and delivering them to the Calgary airport before the unsuspecting passengers landed. At the baggage claim the passengers received their holiday miracle…

This however was not WestJet’s first attempt into spreading airport Christmas cheer. Last year, the airline had created a Christmas themed flash mob, complete with dancing elves, in the middle of an airport…

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here’s a lovely remake of “Little Drummer Boy” by Pentatonix to bring this last Ramble of the year to a close. 😎

Mazda3 Fast Lane

In a bid to capture consumers imagination and attention in Canada, JWT worked with Mazda to turn select Cineplex cinemas in Toronto and Vancouver into immersive gaming experiences that also acted as a mass in cinema test drive. 😎

During November, before the feature film, a short film showed two Mazda3 cars racing. Interested audience members could sync their smartphones to control their own virtual vehicle and race against other members of the audience. An onscreen leaderboard tracked the progress and winners got various giveaways.

The Great Art Heist

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But if Volkswagen Canada has their say, beauty will be in the hands of the person who’s stealing it. At least that’s the idea behind their latest ambient meets social campaign for the new Volkswagen Jetta GLI.

Since the beginning of October, agency Red Urban has created a series of pop-up art galleries across major cities in Canada, that feature “Light Paintings” made by the movement of the Volkswagen Jetta.

While the frames in the exhibits have been hung for all to admire, they haven’t really been hung that securely, allowing more daring admirers to claim the artwork for themselves. The thieves were also being asked to share their stolen items via Tweets and Facebook posts. Volkswagen Canada’s Facebook page has already started receiving photos from fans decorating homes and offices with the eye-catching imagery…