THE GREEN BILLBOARD

TitleTHE GREEN BILLBOARD
BrandTRANSAVIA
Product/ServiceTRANSAVIA AIRLINES
Category B03. Use of Print / Outdoor
Entrant HAVAS Paris, FRANCE
Idea Creation HAVAS Paris, FRANCE
Idea Creation 2 HAVAS PARIS SEVEN, FRANCE
Media Placement KR WAVEMAKER Paris, FRANCE
Production HRCLS Paris, FRANCE
Credits
Name Company Position
Elisabeth Billiemaz Havas Paris Seven Executive vice president
Stephane Gaubert Havas Paris Seven Creative Director
Lucie Beurq Havas Paris Seven Art Director
Marine Surmont Havas Paris Seven Copywriter
Christopher Thiery HRCLS CEO
Yann Dubois HRCLS Producer
Yoann Morin HRCLS Producer
Aurélien Carron HRCLS Image
Clément Arenou HRCLS Image
Charles Brun HRCLS Image
Gaelle Senn HRCLS Sound
Mélanie Texeira HRCLS Post Producer
Melissa Chancerel HRCLS Editor
Thomas Laforge HRCLS Editor
Mickael Lecollazet HRCLS Motion designer
Laureen Arnou-Sanchez HRCLS Artistic director sound
Adrien Alexandre HRCLS Artistic director sound
Ivan Jovanovic HRCLS Sound producer

Why is this work relevant for Media?

During holiday periods in France, numerous billboards aren’t sold and are covered in green by the subway staff. Giving the fact that this is exactly the same green as Transavia’s logo, this campaign hacked these unused billboards to turn them into free ads for Transavia. How? Thanks to a mobile interaction from our target, who can tag @transaviafr on them as a logo on an Instagram story to try to win plane tickets.

Background

Client context: Transavia is a low cost, fun airline but little known and increasingly competitive. The objective was to increase Transavia’s visibility and create brand preference by tactically reaching our target in their daily lives. Traditional media is extremely expensive and as a low-cost airline, Transavia has to deal with a reasonable budget. That’s why we had to propose a smart idea working within a tight budget. Media context: In France, there are four school holiday periods. During these periods, there is a drop of about 15% of media purchase and when the billboards are unsold, they are covered with green paper.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

Unsold billboards in the subway are covered in green by the subway staff. This green happens to be Transavia’s color. We made those unsold green billboards become free Transavia ads. How? By asking people to tag @transaviafr on these green billboards in their Instagram stories and offer them a chance to win plane tickets by doing so. Behind each green billboard, a holiday destination was hidden.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Transavia’s challenge is to increase its notoriety and be spontaneously known on a competitive market. This airline has an important cluster of young urban clients who prefer to city-break several time a year rather than take one long vacation during school holidays. They are then in their home city during school holiday and can be sure to see subway walls cover of green billboards. By prompting people to put Transavia’s name virtually on green billboards that are undeniably in every French daily life, we launched a nudge to make them think about Transavia every time they see green billboards.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We launched this operation on April 24th, at the beginning of the spring school vacation with a video on various social networks. This video made an inventory of some unused green billboards in the subway and invited those who were not on vacation to post them on Instagram by tagging @Transaviafr to win airline tickets. As these green signs exist in all the transport authorities of France, all the French people were affected. Every day, Transavia’s community manager counted green billboards discovered by travelers and animated this green billboard race via Instagram stories and Facebook lives. This operation lasted a week but since the unused green signs continue to exist, the notoriety of Transavia color will too.

List the results (30% of vote)

1106 unused billboards 2 850 000 earned media 200 k media purchase for free And now, every time someone sees a green billboard, they will think of Transavia.