Aegean-Aegean Marathon

Few things in life are as intensely physical and emotional as completing a marathon, yet Aegean Airlines recently found a way to make this experience even more special for 10 lucky people.

As official sponsor of the Athens Classical Marathon, Aegean invited runners to tell them (before the race) about a loved one who lives far from Athens, but who they would love to see waiting for them at the finish line. The airline then drew ten lucky winners from all the entries and, the day before the marathon, flew 10 special individuals to Athens.

The ten winners were not told that they had won, or that they were soon to meet with the person they most dearly missed. Instead, the airline used chip technology embedded in the runner’s number bibs. When the 10 runners reached the 25th

kilometre – known to be the most difficult of the course – their chips triggered a personalized video of their loved one to play on a very large screen with a message of encouragement, and the wonderful news that they were waiting at the finish line.

This experiential campaign was designed around the tagline: “No distance is great enough to keep you away from what you love.”

Aegean produced a touching video documenting the finish line reunions and also set up a special cheering area along the marathon route, as well as kiosks with branded signs for spectators to write messages of support on.