PLANNING (objectives & creative approach):

As Canada’s national airline, Air Canada flies over 13 million passengers every year, and during the Olympics, that includes all of Canada’s athletes, their coaches, teams, equipment and their families. Air Canada is all about sharing the best of what Canada has to offer, and by flying Canadians to achieve their dreams all around the world with every flight, they live this purpose every single day. The Olympics is the perfect opportunity to bring this to life.

And while Air Canada has a healthy share of people’s wallets, it is important to also increase their share of people’s hearts. The brand wanted to spark some of that national pride via its Olympic sponsorship but we wanted to do more than just tell people that Air Canada will be flying the athletes to achieve their dreams at The Games. We wanted to remind Canadians that everyone has a dream, and whether it’s fulfilled in Canada or around the globe, Air Canada will fly you there.

EXECUTION (creative excellence and implementation):

“Ticket to Dream” is the latest in a series of brand spots developed by Air Canada to continue their tradition of emotive storytelling to build brand love.

To ensure we were telling the story authentically, the agency and the client did considerable amounts of research, poring through immigration statistics and stories from Canadian athletes while our production partners made sure every prop, location and wardrobe piece was on point. The story was written and rewritten with all this mind until we came to something that we felt was truly reflective of real Canadian-dream stories. 

We needed to tell two stories and find a way to weave them together. After reading so many Olympic stories, we realized that there was something almost every Canadian athlete shared, a dual-identity that they proudly expressed as part of their Olympic journey. This was really the inspiration for the story, as well as how an Air Canada boarding pass would naturally fit into both stories.

The film follows two journeys across time: a young couple trying to move to Canada for a brighter future, and an athlete living in Canada determined to achieve her Olympic dreams. The two narratives run in parallel before revealing a twist: the athlete is the young couple’s daughter, and her dream was made possible through her parents’.

The narrative centres around parallelling the emotions of an elite athlete and someone immigrating: nerves, excitement, determination, fear, hope, etc. so that you might believe you’re watching two complimentary stories before the twist reveals that they are actually one story.

The moment where our athlete is stepping out onto the world stage for the first time while also being born in the parent’s storyline truly resonates. The emotions in the birth scene and the emotions of the athlete stepping out from the dark into the light is just so beautifully mirrored, and obviously that leads us into the reveal of the whole spot. That moment showcases the importance and significance of both dreams as well as the shared spirit.

RESULTS (outcomes and effectiveness):

The spot was released the week leading up to the Paris 2024 Olympics and will be in-market until the end of the Paralympic Games in September.

The initial reaction to our film has been incredible. Just as we hoped, so many people see their story reflected in this piece, and it’s making them emotional because as Canadians we’re so proud of our families’ immigration stories. And the Olympics is the perfect opportunity to remind us that we are a nation of dreamers.

The loving and supportive comments just keep pouring in, such as these comments on TikTok, LinkedIn, and X.