WestJet’s new Christmas spot is a great example of viral marketing done well. First, they setup a kiosk in one of their terminals where the passengers scan their boarding pass and have a live Santa appear on the screen, asking them by name what they want for Christmas. A fun experience by itself, but WestJet took it a few steps further and actually rushed out to buy all the things each person asked for while they were in flight! This includes some big ticket items like an xbox, android tablet, diamond ring and a big screen TV. Next, to the passengers’ surprise, each present appeared at the baggage claimed, wrapped and with their name on it! WestJet could have done a boring spot talking about how great their service is but by doing this act of over-the-top customer service, they are demonstrating that they really are committed to providing a great experience for their passengers, which is much more powerful. In a period of just 10 days, this spot has received over 30 millions views, which is phenomenal for a 5 minute advertisement. It all ties in perfectly with their ending tagline: “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good flight!”
Marketing Professional