benchmark report
airline marketing
live high fives
digital
teleporters
KLM
MARRIOTT
As the travel industry is always among the first to trial new technologies, British tour operator Thomas Cook recently let visistors of its new concept store try on Oculus Rift headsets to immerse themselves in a ‘virtual reality holiday’ . On a similar note, Marriott Hotels has jumped onto the virtual reality bandwagon as part of its ‘Travel Brilliantly’ campaign in an effort to connect with next-gen travelers. The hospitality chain is taking to major cities a display in which consumers, wearing an Oculus Rift headset, can step into a phone booth-like “Teleporter” and be whisked to Black Sand Beach in Hawaii and the top of Tower 42 in London. Video of the 3D experience here and here . The Teleporter made its public debut September 18 at the Marriott in New York,
OCTOBER 2014 ISSUE
and has now embarked on an eight-city tour (Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta,Dallas, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco) that runs through mid-November. Marriott hopes users of the Teleporter will be inspired to actually go and take a trip somewhere. “Most people go to a hotel’s website and see beautiful but very static images,” said Michael Dail, VP of Marriott Hotels Brand Marketing, adding that the experience around the hotel is key for travellers. The social aspect of the experiment is important from a marketing perspective. Users are encouraged to share their opinions, pictures and personal experiences with the hashtag #GetTeleported, in an effort for Marriott to attract younger travelers who may not be as familiar with the global chain’s brand.
To promote its yearly post-summer World Deal Weeks – during which KLM offers attractive discount fares to more than 100 destinations – KLM enabled hundreds of Amsterdammers and New Yorkers to exchange high-fives via a live video link on August 28. The high-five is the symbolic campaign gesture of the KLM World Deal Weeks. Throughout the day, the interactive installations offered a window to the other side of the ocean. People on the streets on either side of the Atlantic were spontaneously brought together by two interactive installations. Those who managed to complete a perfect ’Live HighFive’ on screen were eligible to win KLM tickets to Amsterdam or New York.
A video clip of the best high-fives was uploaded by KLM to YouTube and has generated more than 430,000 views so far. On a related note, French train operator SCNF last year set up a door in various public places in Paris and passers-by curious enough to open the door were greeted to a live, full-size, video conference with mime ar tists, street dancers, bike riders and caricature ar tists based in cities such as Geneva, Milan, Barcelona, Stuttgar t and Brussels. The ‘Next Door’ experience, enabled by live satellite links and a custom-made digital screen that perfectly fit the door frame, let par ticipants pick where their cycling tour guides would take them, or take on their street dance team with a dance-off.
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EXPERIENTIAL DIGITAL SOCIAL TV, PRINT, OOH
