WestJet has jumped on the marriage proposal viral video trend, featuring two Toronto-area couples getting engaged in Barbados as part of a Valentine’s Day seat sale promotion to the island.
In a twist, J.P. and Mike – the men selected for the online video campaign – wouldn’t know when exactly they would be proposing to their girlfriends. That would be left up to WestJet’s rep, featured in the video, who held on to the rings and would let the guys know when it was time.
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WestJet used hidden cameras to find the two when they were shopping for engagement rings last November at a Michael Hill jewellery store in the Toronto area.
The airline then invited them to bring their partners, Stephanie and Heather, to Barbados, under the impression they were auditioning for a commercial for the airline.
Working with the Barbados Tourism Authority, Toronto-based Studio M, and planning agency Media Experts, the video features the couples on various adventures around the island, all while the guys keep waiting to propose. Two other videos feature the couples sharing their proposal experiences (spoiler: they say yes).
WestJet has had success with its experiential videos going viral, with its December 2013 “Christmas Miracle: Real Time Giving” ad garnering more than 40 million views, picking up a Bronze Lion in the Cyber category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and seemingly spawning the giftvertising craze that took hold of brands last year (check out examples here, here and here). This past Christmas, the brand also filmed local kids in the Dominican Republic chatting with Santa as part of a CSR campaign, bringing in more than three million hits. The latest Valentine’s day video, posted on YouTube yesterday, had just above 6,000 views by late this morning.
