Air Canada

In 2016 eMarketer reported 64% of smartphone users were interested in embracing VR when shopping online and with the  widespread availability of gyroscope-enabled handsets, showcasing 360° video has never been easier. Air Canada and Tourism Australia knew it was the perfect venue to highlight their new non-stop flights.

The 360° video series would capture the imagination of leisure travellers as they explored various locations and activities in Brisbane, Australia. Through this imaginative user-focused format, consumers were able to take control of the ad experience. But the need to scale the campaign efficiently meant looking outside of the two main 360° video platforms online.

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The trick to leveraging the video outside of the two main platform players of 360° video was to partner with a rich media engagement platform to create a first-to-market execution to bridge the gap for the content. This allowed the videos to live anywhere standard IAB units were served.

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Now consumers could interact with their ads using the gyroscopes on their phones to explore the stunning Skypoint Gold Coast, dive into Vlasoff Cay, swim through the Great Barrier Reef, soar over Whitehaven Beach or go for a sunset surf along the Gold Coast in immersive 360° video. The ad unit also featured a 2D promotional video and photo galleries of Brisbane and Air Canada’s 3 classes of service.

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The campaign resulted in a phenomenal 2.31% clickthrough rate for desktop engagements and drove users to engage for an average of 28 seconds in unit on mobile as they soared, dived and boated across Brisbane. Ultimately users spent 800+ hours with Air Canada and Brisbane, clocking a 63% completion rate, 33% higher than travel rich media video completion benchmarks, the content proved successful at raising awareness of the new flights and engaging users with the Air Canada & Brisbane brand.