The Power of a Hashtag: How WestJet Soars High Above Competition in Organic Engagement and Brand Loyalty on Social Media
Their prices aren’t the only thing that sets WestJet apart from the rest.
WestJet is notorious for their viral videos such as their Christmas, April Fools Pranks, that don’t only make you laugh and cry, but also spark free publicity and conversation on social media. These creative and authentic videos that aim to “surprise and delight” their customers are not just a publicity stunt, but also a brand engagement tactic to garner a loyal fan base.
The first time they received an unprecedented amount of attention and engagement was from their “Real Time Giving” Christmas video in 2013.
A large box shaped like a wrapped gift was placed in the boarding areas of the Toronto and Hamilton airports, with a screen of a WestJet branded Santa calling each passenger by their name. One by one, he interacted with them in real time, and asked what gift they wished for.
Back in Calgary, where these flights would be landing, WestJet employees, also known as WestJetters took notes and went shopping for each of these items on every passenger’s wish list
Each gift was individually wrapped, packaged and personalized, and quickly sent off to the baggage carousel which was, naturally, Christmas themed, lighted, and decorated. Passengers were caught by total surprise and dismay, with cameras, phones, large TVs, and even socks and underwear that they wished for earlier in the day showing up along with their bags.
At the end of the video, #WestJetChristmas appears, because who wouldn’t want to talk about this incredible, miraculous video they just witnessed!
And a marketing miracle it was too, because boy did the people share.
Sure WestJet spent thousands of dollars on these gifts, but each one of these passengers had an unfathomable, surreal experience, and they, along with viewers at home, have a brand new perception of WestJet and their generosity. Emotion was sparked, and recipients of these gifts, and even some viewers will now choose to fly with them next time over Air Canada.
5 years later, the video is approaching 48 million views on YouTube, 35 million of which were viewed within the first 3.5 weeks of the campaign. The day it was released, it was the number one trending topic on Twitter, and had soon been viewed in 230 countries, and been seen on CNN.
Their YouTube channel subscriptions increased from 3000 to 40,000, revenues increased by 86%, and 77% in bookings from the previous year, in the two weeks leading up to Christmas.
WestJet had truly made their mark with that video, although they didn’t stop there, as 2014 rolled around, this time, with “Spirit of Giving”.
This heartwarming video comes from the Dominican Republic, where a blue sleigh appears in the village of Neuvo Renacer.
WestJet Santa, decked out in blue, is seen interacting on a screen with local children and residents, asking what they want for Christmas.
Later, Nuevo Renacer was invited to the beach for a party where they received their presents, from washing machines to dolls to a horse, WestJetters delivered.
They also built a new playground for the kids, and not only put a smile on the children’s faces, but also on those at home of potential future fliers, and already fans of the brand.
Just like the year prior, #WestJetChristmas emerges at the end of the video, with a conversation and reaction that follows.
At this point, WestJet has established #WestJetChristmas as an annual tradition.
2015’s Christmas video was by far my favourite, titled “12,000 mini miracles”.
WestJet knows they have high expectations, and once again demonstrates the company’s social responsibility, and ability to spread kindness and joy around the stressful holiday season.
Their mission is to deliver 12,000 “mini-miracles”, by doing several good deeds, big and small, across Canada and the world. From London to Toronto to Hawaii, they gave away free plane tickets, toys, tickets to Disney World and Hawaii to deserving families, flights, gift cards, care packages for the homeless, coffee, and $20 bills to random pedestrians on the street.
This was the first Christmas campaign in which they began to successfully integrate the hashtag into the campaign while it was happening.
For example, when someone would receive a cup of coffee, #WestJetChristmas would be on a sticker attached to the cup.
Meanwhile, their command centre in Calgary was tracking the number of deeds performed with social media metrics using the hashtag.
Interestingly enough, no hashtag is shown at the end of the video itself, but it is attached to their tweet, and certainly gets its share of use on social media during the execution process.
Look no further than the replies to see the positive impact they’ve made, again inflicting a sense of loyalty and brand recognition.
2016 and 2017 came around with more free plane tickets, tears of joy, and brand engagement.
2016’s video was moving, giving displaced Fort McMurray residents a Christmas party complete with free plane tickets that dropped from the sky.
In 2017, WestJet partnered with the Boys and Girls Club to brainstorm different Christmas Miracles WestJet could perform in airports across the country.
With puppies, huge gingerbread houses, concerts, a family dinner with complimentary round trip tickets for “dessert”, and more free flights, WestJet once again won over Canadian’s love via social media.
2017's, I argue was the most successful in creating anticipation and excitement on social media prior to the video’s release.
People were tweeting about their positive experiences and surprise with the company weeks before the official video was set to release, while WestJet retweeted and responded, making these “unofficial sneak peaks” of what their 12 Flights of Christmas video had in store, available to the public.
That, is marketing well done.
WestJet also clearly wants to be the airline of choice for Canadians heading to party it up in Vegas.
They’ve already established themselves as the airline with the most international flights out of McCarren Airport (LAS), but how can they further connect and trigger emotions with both passengers on board and at home?
One way is by upgrading an entire Vegas bound flight from Toronto with the ultimate Vegas experience, and filming it all.
#WestJetVegasUpgrade, surprised a flight full of passengers with an ultimate Vegas experience from the minute they boarded their plane, complete with shows, nightlife, and helicopter tours, all on WestJet’s tab.
And they got exactly the response out of the video they were looking for.
WestJet’s engagement rate for this video was 56% higher than any of their previous video, a combined 3.4 million views on all their platforms, and was publicized by nearly 300 media outlets.
If you haven’t noticed by now, WestJet, really wants Canadians to choose to fly with them on their trips to Vegas.
So, two years later, sticking with the Vegas theme, WestJet then broke a world record while surprising one very lucky passenger and her plane. Their creative team implemented a light installation in the middle of the Utah desert that would light up, act as a countdown, and randomly choose a seat number all while the plane was flying overhead.
The amount of physical labour, long days by the crew, and planning and coordination was lengthy complicated, and not to mention costly, but as with all these stunts, the ROI was more than worth it, especially for this lucky flier.
Seat 4A got a VIP Vegas upgrade that she will remember for the rest of her life.
Not to mention that everyone on the plane will go home and tell their family and friends about this spectacular sight and surprise too.
Even when their stunts aren’t being developed by the marketing team, their employees certainly know how to get people talking and serve up smiles (and pizza?).
In hilarious headlines, one WestJet pilot was applauded for providing a stranded Air Canada flight with free pizza in February of 2017.
The customers of their ultimate competitor, (who they even poked fun at in their “Canada Air” April Fools prank), were shown better customer service by a WestJet pilot in St Johns, than by any Air Canada representative on scene.
And yes, it got people talking about WestJet, for free.
In the skies, and on the ground, WestJet is known for surprising their guests (and even those of their competitors) with the most memorable of experiences, transforming them from stressed holiday travelers, to WestJet brand loyalists and customers for life.
This type of authentic, raw, and real content published is placed at the forefront of WestJet’s marketing, and attributes to their long-term success. These yearly videos not only make headlines, but also inflict a sense of pride in employees, loyal customers, and everyday Canadians.
Video after video, year after year, WestJet spends hefty amounts on these videos’ budgets, publicity, and overall production.
However, when measuring their immediate spike in YouTube subscription rate, Twitter and Facebook followers, and rise in mentions after each stunt, along with their booking rate, the amount spent of these videos is clearly money well spent.
For WestJet’s shareholders, the increase in following, conversation, and now avid WestJet fans is clear after each stunt, and makes their investment all the more worthwhile thanks to their superb Marketing team.
This rate of conversion and level of loyalty is difficult for any business, let alone an airline to achieve, but WestJet does it so masterfully by simply caring and expressing interest in their customers and community.
Sometimes the little things, like a free upgrade, or complimentary dollars for a delayed flight can garner this same type of free publicity too.
Ultimately, WestJet’s online success comes down to their level of execution and integration of social media with each video, along with their demonstration of outstanding customer service, which, evidently, WestJet is quite good at.
