Montreal-based Air Transat is taking its brand in a new direction in its latest campaign, the airline’s first with newly appointed agency of record Sid Lee.
A cinematic two-minute spot, “Vacation is Calling,” shows people in everyday environments that are magically transformed into beautiful scenes including a lush rainforest, blue waters and sandy beaches.
The campaign builds on the sense of anticipation and joy people feel when they book a trip. “It started with a strong consumer insight that the vacation and the fun of it start way before you have your feet in the sand,” said Geneviève LeBrun, vice-president of marketing at Transat Tours Canada. “As soon as you have booked your holidays, you will feel in better shape, healthier and happier because you know you’re heading for vacation.”
The campaign, promoting sun destination vacations includes digital, social media, TV, radio, OOH and print components.
The objectives are to “make sure that our brand has a significant impact, that we’re part of the consideration set when it times to actually plan and book holidays, and certainly build on the strong emotional connection with Canadians,” said LeBrun.
Sid Lee was named creative and media AOR following a review that took place in the spring. Air Transat previously worked with DentsuBos, with campaigns under the “Sun for Everyone” and “Europe for Everyone” platforms.
On the decision to hire a new agency, LeBrun said: “You do challenge yourself at certain points in time in terms of where you want to bring your brand and who could be the best partner to help you achieve your goals… We challenged ourselves and ended up picking Sid Lee.”
The company chose Sid Lee for its solid track record and national and global footprint. The agency has offices in Montreal, Toronto (which was key for the brand), and Paris, “so they can help us to reach our different audiences in different markets as we are fairly present in the European market,” said LeBrun.
In addition to the creative campaign, Sid Lee redesigned Air Transat’s logo, making the star more prominent. “We haven’t made any drastic change,” said LeBrun. “Based on the equity we have, we know that the star is well recognized and beloved by people, so we’re putting more emphasis on the star.”
