Winners & Shortlists

FLIGHTYES2014

TitleFLIGHTYES2014
BrandTHOMAS COOK
Product/ServiceHOLIDAYS
Category B04. TRAVEL, ENTERTAINMENT, LEISURE & RETAIL, INCLUDING E-COMMERCE AND RESTAURANTS
Entrant Company BOONDOGGLE Leuven, BELGIUM
Advertising Agency BOONDOGGLE Leuven, BELGIUM
Production Company PIXMIX STUDIOS Berchem, BELGIUM
Credits
Name Company Position
Alexander Schmitt Thomas Cook Head Of Marketing
Tim Tavernier Thomas Cook Head Of Communication
Dominique Vanhove Thomas Cook Head Of Digital Marketing
Kim Leunen Thomas Cook Social Media Coordinator
Sylvie Clauwaert Thomas Cook Marketing Co/Ordinator Thomas Cook Airlines
Sylvie T'jaeckx Thomas Cook Communications Co/Ordinator
Niels Schreyers/Odin Saillé BOONDOGGLE Creative Directors
Dieter Vanhoof/Bout Holtof BOONDOGGLE Creative Team
Peter Verbiest BOONDOGGLE Strategic Director
Inge Vander Velpen BOONDOGGLE Managing Director
Jonas Moors/Nele Vande Walle/Layla Van Engeland BOONDOGGLE Campaign Managers
Roger D'hoogh Pixmix Studios Director
Patrick Schepers Pixmix Studios Producer

Creative Execution

We gave two people the most personal moment of their lives: a surprise wedding up in the air and a dream honeymoon. On Valentine’s day 2014, Thomas Cook posted an ordinary Facebook status targeted only at men: “What if you could marry your girlfriend up in the air?”. For one of the guys who responded, Thomas Cook made it happen - on one condition: it had to be a total surprise for his bride. And that’s how it happened. The video of the preparations and the wedding was released some weeks later on YouTube and so the Thomas Cook magic got spread.

In just one week, more than 1 million people worldwide saw how committed Thomas Cook is to giving its customers unforgettable, personal experiences. In Belgium, the happy couple was interviewed within 24 hours on “Hotel M”, a live TV show. Almost all of the national publishers covered the story. The rest of the world followed quickly: Daily Mail, Huffington Post, Fox News, Buzzfeed, Reddit, 20minutes , the US TV show “Right This Minute”, etc. The total value of earned media exceeded 1 million euro! It paid off: the story had a positive influence on the perception of Thomas Cook’s values and purchase intentions, which increased by 28%.

People tend to think of tour operators as impersonal and therefore unattractive. As Thomas Cook does quite the opposite by going the extra mile, it was important for the company to reposition itself, not just in Belgium, but internationally. The international brand’s essence was redefined to ‘inspiring personal journeys by the trusted pioneer in global travel’ which was visualised in a new heart-shaped logo. They asked us to think of a creative, surprising way to express this new brand essence to their target group.