How Canadian airline Swoop used the beach to make a name for itself
The Oliver Agency won at The Drum Awards for Content 2022 in the Best Creative Content Idea Using Video, for its ‘This Beach is a Coupon’ campaign. Here, we find out more about what went into this uniquely successful campaign.
Swoop Airlines beach ad / Swoop
Swoop Airlines, an ultra-low-cost carrier based in Canada, was faced with the task of promoting a limited-time sale to Mexico amidst heavy competition within the industry. In a stroke of marketing genius, its in-house team decided to put the beach to work and reinvent the ‘limited-time sale’ with a rather unusual countdown timer.
The brief
With flight sales yielding less than desirable results in the industry, Swoop Airlines set out to not only stand out visually but also create a sense of urgency for customers. Their time-sensitive sale of 60% off flights to Mexico needed to rise above normal flight sales in a way that created a buzz, highlighted the destination, and pushed bookings.
Having only been in the industry since 2018, Swoop needed to make a name for itself against the bigger airlines, especially since Mexico is a destination headliner. It decided to combine online with offline content and create a video that would get its point across in an impactful way. The strategy was to use social and display ads to drive people to the video and take advantage of the offer.
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The idea
Swoop decided to push normal advertising boundaries and take a chance on a big idea. The concept was to create a large flight coupon, etched into the sand on one of the very beaches they were promoting. The giant coupon was live-streamed on Facebook, inviting people to utilize the coupon and book a flight before the coupon was washed away by the tide. During the three-hour steam, viewers were not only able to see the beauty of the destination but also witness the ocean wash away the coupon and end the sale in real-time. Set with crashing ocean waves on a beautiful Mazatlán beach, the live stream demonstrated that Swoop was indeed different than traditional airlines.
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The results
The results spoke for themselves with an increase in bookings of 80% over the course of the promotion, compared to a typical sale with the same destination and timeframe. The social media efforts also resulted in an increase, with shares going up by 17% and Facebook followers reaching over 140,000. Between word of mouth, and paid ads, a single coupon set up Swoop as a unique, bold player in the travel industry.
This campaign was a winner at The Drum Awards for Content 2022. You can see all the winners here. The Drum Awards for Marketing are currently open for entry. Find out how you can enter now.