2024 Winner
BronzeBest in Travel and Tourism
Air Canada
"Music Travel Guides"
Cossette Media
"Music Travel Guides"
Cossette Media
Research showed that loyalty to Air Canada among Quebecers had eroded after a turbulent period marked by the Covid crisis and a media storm caused by Air Canada’s challenges in servicing its customers in French.
The airline found itself in need of rekindling the trust and creating a deep emotional connection with Quebecers. The answer? Music – a universal language that evokes powerful emotions and memories.
Music isn’t just a soundtrack; it’s a vessel of emotions that can transport people to distant places and cherished memories.
By weaving music into the fabric of travel, the agency could make Air Canada’s resonate deeply with the hearts of Quebecers again.
Air Canada collaborated with three top-of-charts Quebec artists – Charlotte Cardin, Alexandra Stréliski, and Sarahmée – to create the first-ever musical travel guides.
Available on Air Canada’s enRoute platform and Spotify, they were more than playlists; they were rhythmic journeys through the cultural heartbeats of Paris, Amsterdam, and Barcelona - Quebecers’ favorite destinations, available with direct flights from Montreal.
At the core of this campaign was the fusion of three key expertises: Air Canada’s travel expertise, the music expertise of Cult Nation, an iconic Quebec record label and Spotify’s expertise in
musical content amplification.
Together, they guided Quebecers on a melodic journey across Europe. However, the challenge was to integrate these elements into a cohesive experience that resonated at every touchpoint.
The musical travel guides were mass distributed on Spotify, a reference for music discovery. Air Canada’s enRoute platforms were also leveraged. Each musical guide was carefully curated and commented on by the artists to evoke personal memories of each destination. It included a customized Google Maps pinpointing the artists’ recommendations. The guides reflected the artists' favorite spots and associated songs, allowing listeners to experience Paris, Amsterdam, or Barcelona as if
guided by these artists.
The agency expanded the campaign's reach and engagement by applying Cult Nation’s best
practices for music promotion.
The campaign was featured in a multi-format Out-of-Home campaign, including airports and transit, there were QR codes for downloading the musical travel guides and on social media, the agency harnessed the power of TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, platforms where music and
travel dreams thrive.
On paid digital media (YouTube for instance), the agency pushed exclusive interviews with the artists, which funneled traffic back to the musical guides. The artists themselves acted as ambassadors and promoted the musical travel guides to their combined following of 1.5 million Quebecers.
To close the loop, the agency retargeted users with promotional offers and optimized Air Canada’s SEM strategy, ensuring accessibility and engagement of musical Journeys.
Creating meaningful connections at every step of the travel journey required more than just a clever idea – it demanded innovation. And so, they introduced the first-ever musical travel guides, a concept that not only redefined how people think about travel content but also how they experience it.
For instance, Charlotte Cardin, one of Canada’s most celebrated pop stars, curated the Paris guide in a very intimate fashion. Her fan base was drawn into a narrative where she shared her favorite Parisian haunts and personal memories, paired with her personal favorite song selection. Her story was unique and authentic, as an owner of an apartment in an up-and-rising neighborhood of Paris.
This innovative approach didn’t just introduce a new media format; it redefined the role of music in the travel experience, deepening the connection between Air Canada and Quebec’s unique culture through a medium that speaks directly to the heart.
The campaign dazzled with its 185 million impressions, on a small media budget of $280,000.
The campaign was shared by customers and picked on by 12 different news outlets, delivering. A proof of the emotional connection created by the musical travel guides.
Media placements surpassed expectations, with interactions soaring 115% above benchmarks on YouTube and 18% on other media placements. On Spotify, Quebec users streamed the musical guides for an impressive average of 22 minutes, showcasing their strong engagement.
Air Canada masterfully boosted brand engagement with Quebecers social sentiment, compared to previous Air Canada campaigns, exceeded expectations with a +125% increase in positive reactions. More importantly, airline ticket sales show a growth trend of +7% in this market.
The airline found itself in need of rekindling the trust and creating a deep emotional connection with Quebecers. The answer? Music – a universal language that evokes powerful emotions and memories.
Music isn’t just a soundtrack; it’s a vessel of emotions that can transport people to distant places and cherished memories.
By weaving music into the fabric of travel, the agency could make Air Canada’s resonate deeply with the hearts of Quebecers again.
Air Canada collaborated with three top-of-charts Quebec artists – Charlotte Cardin, Alexandra Stréliski, and Sarahmée – to create the first-ever musical travel guides.
Available on Air Canada’s enRoute platform and Spotify, they were more than playlists; they were rhythmic journeys through the cultural heartbeats of Paris, Amsterdam, and Barcelona - Quebecers’ favorite destinations, available with direct flights from Montreal.
At the core of this campaign was the fusion of three key expertises: Air Canada’s travel expertise, the music expertise of Cult Nation, an iconic Quebec record label and Spotify’s expertise in
musical content amplification.
Together, they guided Quebecers on a melodic journey across Europe. However, the challenge was to integrate these elements into a cohesive experience that resonated at every touchpoint.
The musical travel guides were mass distributed on Spotify, a reference for music discovery. Air Canada’s enRoute platforms were also leveraged. Each musical guide was carefully curated and commented on by the artists to evoke personal memories of each destination. It included a customized Google Maps pinpointing the artists’ recommendations. The guides reflected the artists' favorite spots and associated songs, allowing listeners to experience Paris, Amsterdam, or Barcelona as if
guided by these artists.
The agency expanded the campaign's reach and engagement by applying Cult Nation’s best
practices for music promotion.
The campaign was featured in a multi-format Out-of-Home campaign, including airports and transit, there were QR codes for downloading the musical travel guides and on social media, the agency harnessed the power of TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, platforms where music and
travel dreams thrive.
On paid digital media (YouTube for instance), the agency pushed exclusive interviews with the artists, which funneled traffic back to the musical guides. The artists themselves acted as ambassadors and promoted the musical travel guides to their combined following of 1.5 million Quebecers.
To close the loop, the agency retargeted users with promotional offers and optimized Air Canada’s SEM strategy, ensuring accessibility and engagement of musical Journeys.
Creating meaningful connections at every step of the travel journey required more than just a clever idea – it demanded innovation. And so, they introduced the first-ever musical travel guides, a concept that not only redefined how people think about travel content but also how they experience it.
For instance, Charlotte Cardin, one of Canada’s most celebrated pop stars, curated the Paris guide in a very intimate fashion. Her fan base was drawn into a narrative where she shared her favorite Parisian haunts and personal memories, paired with her personal favorite song selection. Her story was unique and authentic, as an owner of an apartment in an up-and-rising neighborhood of Paris.
This innovative approach didn’t just introduce a new media format; it redefined the role of music in the travel experience, deepening the connection between Air Canada and Quebec’s unique culture through a medium that speaks directly to the heart.
The campaign dazzled with its 185 million impressions, on a small media budget of $280,000.
The campaign was shared by customers and picked on by 12 different news outlets, delivering. A proof of the emotional connection created by the musical travel guides.
Media placements surpassed expectations, with interactions soaring 115% above benchmarks on YouTube and 18% on other media placements. On Spotify, Quebec users streamed the musical guides for an impressive average of 22 minutes, showcasing their strong engagement.
Air Canada masterfully boosted brand engagement with Quebecers social sentiment, compared to previous Air Canada campaigns, exceeded expectations with a +125% increase in positive reactions. More importantly, airline ticket sales show a growth trend of +7% in this market.
Credits
Client: Air Canada – Martine Boulerice, Maya Khoury, Geneviève Fournier & ACMD - Raymond AceboMedia agency: Cossette Media
Media strategy: Laurence Laperrière, Alphée Lamothe
Agency: Cossette
Creative: Anne-Claude Chénier, Anik Ouellet, Souléman Diallo, Mehdi Sedira, Anne-Marie Clermont, Marc-Antoine Vallée, Raphaël Côté, Steven Morie, Louis Chapdelaine
Strategy: Hugo Fournier, Rémi Charpentier, Octavie Albert
Account services: Marie-Claude Lachance, Axelle Nau, Claire Jouin, Laura Delamarre
Producer: Stéphanie Côté (Septième)
Production house: Lylie Korzer (Septième)
Director: Eva Martinez (Septième)
Post-production: Septième
Sound: Cult Studio
Public Relations Agency: Weber Shandwick
Public Relations Strategy: Marie-Philip Leduc, Marie-Eve Noël, Maria-Gabriela Garcia-Rousiouk