Destinations have their own particularly rhythms, and Air Canada is tapping into that sentiment through personalized musical travel guides.
Air Canada collaborated with Cossette and Quebec artists Charlotte Cardin, Alexandra Stréliski and Sarahmée on “Take Off to Europe on a Musical Journey” to talk about the pulse of Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam, and curate three associated playlists alongside favourite spots in each location.
The musical guides are available on Air Canada’s enRoute platform and Spotify, and are designed to transport listeners to the artists’ respective universes in the three popular European destinations. Each playlist consists of audio recordings that evoke the artist’s fondness for her various go-to spots and for the songs associated with them, an experience meant to strengthen the bond between the artist, the listener and the city.
As Maya Khoury, Air Canada’s senior manager of brand marketing tells strategy, the artists chosen are not just homegrown talents with fan bases beyond the province’s borders and ubiquitous staples on radio, each has a particular connection to each city, either as a frequent visitor or part-time resident.
Being more auditory than visual, this campaign is a bit outside the box, Khoury says, but ultimately she says it is about selling dreams. Music and travel do go hand-in-hand, and she likens it to a nice pairing or a marriage, with power to capture moments and to create very deep memories.
“[Travel is] something aspirational, people look forward to… an escape from everyday life,” she says. “We have the opportunity to showcase amazing places and experiences through what we do.”
While Khoury says it’s difficult to predict summer trends, people do make travel a priority and she hopes this inspires people to take the plunge and explore new places, with a musical accompaniment.
The locations selected for this campaign are partly due to Europe continuing to be a strong summer destination demand for the brand, she says.
The “Take Off to Europe on a Musical Journey” campaign is by agency partner Cossette, with Cossette also media handling the buy.
The target, as befitting the artists, is broad and attracting fans of different genres and demos.
The campaign “is fairly large,” Khoury says, and mainly lives on digital channels. It will be rolled out across Quebec until June 2 in OOH – at Montréal metro stations and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport – and also via online content, social media and through La Presse.
