| Title | THE BLACKOUT BUS |
| Brand | BRUSSELS AIRLINES |
| Product/Service | AVIATION SERVICES |
| Category |
F02. Response/Real-Time Activity (incl. Crowdsourcing) |
|
Entrant Company
|
TBWA\BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
|
|
Advertising Agency
|
TBWA\BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
|
Credits
| Gert Pauwels |
TBWA Belgium |
Creative Director |
| David Maertens |
TBWA Belgium |
Art Director |
| Vital Schippers |
TBWA Belgium |
Copywriter |
| Geert Potargent |
TBWA Belgium |
Client Services Director |
| Pauline Kinet |
TBWA Belgium |
Account Director |
| Yolanda Lopez |
TBWA Belgium |
Account Manager |
| Anton Ceuppens |
TBWA Belgium |
RTV Production |
| Eva Segers |
TBWA Belgium |
RTV Production |
| Isabelle Verdeyen |
TBWA Belgium |
Public Relations |
| Katrien de Raijmaeker |
TBWA Belgium |
Public Relations |
| Carole Jacobs |
TBWA Belgium |
Brand Activation |
| Christophe Chantraine |
TBWA Belgium |
Social Media |
| Hendrik D'Haemer |
TBWA Belgium |
Print Production |
| Hendrik Everaerts |
TBWA Belgium |
Illustation |
Creative Execution
We needed to react fast in order to be relevant. The only medium fast enough to reach out to our passengers was the Internet and more specifically our own social media. We knew that the bad news was already all over the web. We wanted the good news to spread as fast.
We launched the BlackOut Bus on our Facebook page and on our Twitter account. The news spread really fast on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and on the websites of national newspapers (HLN, Het Nieuwsblad, De Tijd, Le Soir, La Libre).
Our objective to go the extra smile and to turn negative and frustrated comments into positive comments and smileys worked out pretty well. The campaign was also picked up by newspapers and national television. The BlackOut Bus even got mentioned in a quiz in the second most-watched Belgian TV show “Iedereen Beroemd” that day on national TV. Almost 1.100.000 viewers heard about the action for 40 seconds.
Earlier this year, Brussels Airlines, Belgium’s national carrier, launched its new tagline: we go the extra smile. May 27th was the perfect day to give that philosophy wings. That very morning, the Belgian airspace completely closed due to an electrical failure. 109 flights got cancelled and 12.000 frustrated passengers were stranded.
We reacted very quickly. Only one hour after the blackout, Brussels Airlines launched the BlackOut Bus via its Twitter and Facebook page: a bus service to treat stranded passengers to a sightseeing tour around Brussels. Wasted time became fun time.
Travelling is very emotional and when something goes wrong, consumers nowadays immediately use social media to share those frustrations. The BlackOut Bus turned dislikes and angry faces into likes and smiles.