How This Canadian Airline Celebrated the Way One Dream Can Inspire Another
For any top athlete in the world, representing their country on the Olympic or Paralympic stage is a dream come true. Therein lies the culmination of hours of gruelling training, deep long-standing passion, and the sheer willpower to make it all the way. It’s a remarkable journey in every case, and one that can be applied to each athlete we see, no matter their flag or sport of choice.
Of course, what we don’t always see are the journeys of those who set up the athletes for success. Sure, maybe not every parent dreams of their child making it to the pinnacle of sporting achievement, but most at least dream of a beautiful future, giving them a good life, and enabling their best chance of success, whatever their field may be. Truly, it takes one set of dreams to enable another.
This is the message in Air Canada’s latest spot, ‘Ticket to Dream’, which it created in partnership with FCB Toronto ahead of the Olympics. Embracing its role as Team Canada's Official Airline for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the brand chose to emphasise narrative over placement, looking at two parallel stories: one of an immigrant family trying to make it to Canada, and one of an athlete training to make it to the games. Appearing as two separate yet interwoven storylines, each is heartfelt and emotional in its own right, before the reveal that this is the story of one family – the parents and their daughter.
To learn more about what it took to bring this to life, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Air Canada’s director, brand strategy and content marketing, John Xydous, as well as the team from FCB Toronto, including executive creative director Jeremiah McNama, associate creative directors Sara Radovanovich and Sally Fung, senior vice president, planning, Shelagh Hartford, and vice president, content lead, Ravi Singh, for a chat.
LBB> Creating a campaign tying an airline to the Olympics is no small task. As such, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
John> Air Canada already has a strong role to play during the Olympics - flying Team Canada and their equipment to the Olympic and Paralympic Games - so the connection between the two was very natural.
But, there was a broader Canadian story to tell in terms of dreams taking flight. As the national flag carrier, Air Canada also flies Canadians around the world every single day. And particularly for customers who are newcomers to Canada, that first flight they take with us to Canada is core to shaping and defining what that new life in Canada represents. That was the broader Canadian story we wanted to tell.
Jeremiah> Really, 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.
LBB> Notably, Air Canada has been serving as the Official Airline of the Canadian Olympic Team, as well as the Paralympic Team for quite some time. Why is this so important to the brand, and what does it represent to you?
John> Air Canada has proudly been the Official Airline of the Canadian Olympic Team since 1988, and Canadian Paralympic Team since 2007 – something that showcases our deep passion for sports and our commitment to sharing the best of Canada with the world every single day.
To us, the Olympics represent a chance for Canada to share its best on the world stage, not just through our incredible athletic abilities, but through our shared values of integrity, sincerity and care. It’s something we are incredibly proud to be a part of.
LBB> The idea of focusing on Canadians’ dreams is a beautiful sentiment. What made this the right approach, and specifically, where did the idea to do two interwoven storylines come from?
Shelagh> The brief was two-fold, so we knew that we needed to tell two stories and find a way to weave them together authentically. After researching many Olympic stories, we realised 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.
LBB> From here, what was the writing process like? How did you approach telling these stories in an authentic yet emotional fashion?
Sara> So much research went into this. The entire FCB and Air Canada team pored over immigration statistics and stories as well as stories from real Canadian athletes to make sure it felt authentic. Meanwhile, 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.
LBB> The inclusion of Paralympic representation in the spot was awesome to see! How did you ensure this was included in a tasteful way?
Ravi> Because this was meant to be representative of so many Canadian stories, we always had inclusion of the Paralympians in mind. We know that athletes often train together, so featuring Para-athletes in the training scenes felt not only natural, but also showcased their parallel dreams and spirit.
LBB> Cutting between both time periods without giving away the twist requires a lot of good planning. As such, what did it take to weave these two stories together, creating obvious parallels that built to a strong climax?
Sally> On paper, it was about 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 complementary stories before the twist that they’re actually one story. But to bring that to life, it took working with an incredible director (Kevin Foley from Scouts Honour) and editor (Graham Chisholm from Nimiopere), who were with us every step of the way to ensure we achieved the vision and each vignette was compelling and authentic.
LBB> Building on this, what was the production process like? Do you have any anecdotes from on set?
Sally> Our whole team was incredible. When we look back at it, all we really can comment on was how professional and invested every single person was and how easy that made our job.
Jeremiah> Notably, Kevin really was the perfect choice for this production. His ability to capture raw emotion and tell compelling stories aligned seamlessly with the essence of the Olympic journey. Not to mention, his extensive sports experience ensured that we authentically captured the nuances and intensity of the sport. We were all committed to getting every detail right.
LBB> The music is incredible! How did you find the right soundtrack for this?
Sara> Thank you! We approached several composers to create original music for this piece. We even had some people add their own compositions to the mix because they were so inspired by the work, which was obviously a huge honour. Then it was just about picking the track that gave us the biggest goosebumps, and felt like it brought to life the beauty in the struggle and the triumph in both stories.
LBB> Equally so, the edit and final montage are super beautiful. What went into bringing this aspect to life?
Sally> Again Kevin and Graham were the masterminds here. The final ‘flutter cut’ as we called it was something we discussed at the production stage, and we’re so glad we went for it because it captures so much of the story you didn’t get to see. And Graham’s instincts are so next level that his first edit of the flutter cut was essentially the final version you see. Can’t say enough good things about our team!
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Sara> Most of our challenges came from just trying to be as authentic as possible. Tonnes of researching and rewriting and re-looking at what we needed to capture. It really was just working with an incredible team of dedicated people that got us through everything unscathed and still inspired to make this piece the best it could be.
LBB> How have people reacted to this campaign?
Ravi> The reaction 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. The Olympics is the perfect opportunity to remind us that we are a nation of dreamers.
John> The response has been incredible! Our proudest moment was sharing the spot for the very first time with our sponsored Olympians and seeing how much it touched them.
LBB> Do you have a favourite sequence from the spot, or an aspect you’re most proud of?
Shelagh> 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. 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. For us, it showcases the importance and significance of both dreams, as well as the shared spirit.
John> My favourite sequence is when dad holds the baby for the first time and his tear merges the past timeline to the present one.
