KLM x Heineken - The Orange Experience 2

KLM x Heineken - The Orange Experience 2

If one had to pick one day of the to party in Holland, the best day for that is undoubtedly ‘Kings Day’ on April 26th, which is a national holiday on which the entire populace of Holland flood the streets, decked out in orange, to celebrate the birthday of the king.

Last year, KLM and Heineken partnered to surprise (video ) ten New Yorkers with a free trip to Amsterdam for the big party. This year, the two were at it again with a similar campaign.

Just hours before the festivities were to begin in Amsterdam, lucky winners were randomly selected from bars and nightclubs in Oslo, Cape Town, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles. After learning and then loudly singing a Dutch folk song in public (to prove they had ‘the right stuff’) the still unsuspecting winners were told to grab a bag and a friend. They were then whisked away via KLM flights to Amsterdam, where they were greeted like true celebrities.

Followed throughout the day by a camera crew to capture every smile and surprise, the lucky international transplants toured the Dutch capital on bikes, tasted local foods and met plenty of fellow King’s Day revellers. Ending the day with bang, KLM and Heineken announced to the group that they were to float through the city’s canals, sharing a party-barge with international superstar DJ Hardwell.

While Twitter and Instagram activity around the event were both great, nothing speaks more to the success of this campaign than the sheer number of clicks (nearly 1.5 million in less than 30 days) the YouTube video received.