This Canadian Airline’s Holiday Campaign Invited Kids to Pick Their Parents’ Presents
For the past 12 years, over the holidays, WestJet has been running a campaign called ‘Christmas Miracle’, which sees the Canadian airline deliver in a fun, unexpected and seasonally-relevant way for its guests. However, on the back of a significant year which saw the brand refresh with a new platform and tagline, it only felt right that the 2024 edition be extra special.
Returning to one of its most beloved ‘Miracles’ from 11 years ago, ‘Real Time Giving’, the brand, alongside its partner agency, Rethink, decided to put a fun spin on things by seeing how well kids could flip the script and select gifts for their parents. Specifically, after selecting a flight from Toronto to Calgary which would be packed with children, the brand sent in its ‘Blue Santa’ to sit down with the youngsters in order to find out just what they thought their parents might want. And, while the flight was in the air, the team at WestJet then scrambled about in order to find everything suggested (as well as some bonus gifts), in order to create a heartfelt moment of holiday gift-giving at the baggage carousel.
Of course, executing something like this wasn’t going to be easy. So, in order to learn exactly what it took to pull off this ‘Miracle’, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Rethink executive creative director Don Shelford, as well as WestJet’s director of marketing, Jennifer Callegaro, for a chat.
LBB> What was the brief for this, and what inspired you to return to the ‘Real-Time’Giving’ campaign from 11 years ago?
Jennifer> ‘Christmas Miracle’ is in the WestJet DNA. It’s about celebrating connection, recognising our WestJetters, and making the impossible possible. Every year, the brief is to do something new and unexpected.
However, 2024 was an especially big year for us, thanks to our brand refresh where we launched our new platform and tagline, ‘Where Your Story Takes Off’. Combined with our brand foundations research (which unveiled the beauty in nostalgia and looking back on travel memories), it felt full circle to bring together something old and something new. So, we thought, ‘why not revisit our most beloved Christmas Miracle of the past, with a cute twist?’.
Don> The brief encouraged us to explore the role that parents take during the holidays and led us to an area where we are ultimately rewarding moms and dads for how they make this time of year so incredibly special for their families. We know that travelling over the holidays can be stressful, and wanted to organise a surprise that would delight folks while standing at one of the most mundane parts of a trip – the baggage carousel.
LBB> Specifically, where did the idea of kids picking gifts for their parents come from? Was there anything else under consideration, or was this something you immediately wanted to do?
Don> If you’re a parent, you’re likely familiar with asking your child what they want for Christmas or the holidays. We thought it would be fun to ask kids not for their Christmas wish list, but their parents’. It’s a fun twist on a quintessential holiday moment that many of us can relate to.
Jennifer> Kids were the key to putting a spin on the original concept. When we think of Christmas and the holidays, a childlike wonder comes to mind with the season, and we wanted to harness that joy and share it.
WestJet is proud to connect its guests to the people and places they love, and the holiday season felt like the right time for us to surprise and delight them during what can otherwise be a very stressful time.
LBB> From here, logistically, what was the planning process like? How did you work with your partners to ensure a cool array of gifts which could then be picked up during the flight?
Jennifer> I like to describe it as ‘organised chaos’. Every year, planning and executing a ‘Christmas Miracle’ is a logistical feat, and we’re proud to have the team that we do here at WestJet, as well as our agency partners, who really make the impossible possible.
In this case, the shopping hustle was real! Again, we are so grateful to our WestJetters who put their hands up to shop, wrap and deliver gifts within the guests’ flight time. It was stressful, but so rewarding when we saw the smiles and delight on our guests’ faces.
We’ve also had a big year in terms of partnerships, and we’re grateful to our friends at TELUS, Skip, the Toronto Blue Jays, CFL, Coca-Cola and Iberostar who joined in on the holiday spirit. They were all so generous in providing some really amazing gifts.
LBB> Let’s talk about the kids! What was working with them like? And what were some of the funniest/wildest things they suggested as gifts
Don> Since kids are unpredictable and full of imagination, there were so many adorable moments. Working with real people – kids or adults – always has an element of the unknown, and it’s our role to help them feel comfortable, and find creative ways to phrase our questions. The core of the idea relied on a surprise, and we think everyone had a lot of fun at the pop-up Santa Station.
In terms of highlights, one came from a seemingly sporty family where a girl thought her dad might want a soccer ball, and her mom a ‘basketball ball’ (lol).
Jennifer> Because ‘Blue Santa’ was a real WestJetter, we prepared him for the realities of what kinds of presents would work or not, which needed to be upheld with the kids. After all, the baggage carousel chute is only so large, so something like a brand-new car wouldn’t work.
For me, some of the funniest gifts that made it into the final spot included the likes of an avocado and milk, as well as one of the wildest ones – a sack of potatoes.
LBB> And what was the filming process like? How did you capture their and the parents’ reactions on both sides of the flight?
Don> Filming in two airports on the same day is no small feat. We had our teams split between Toronto and Calgary, with a director duo, cameras, and production teams in each city. The campaign’s lead creative team started in Toronto, joining guests on the ‘Miracle Flight’ to arrive in Calgary for the reveal on the baggage carousel, too.
LBB> Tell us more about the parents’ reactions to receiving their gifts! What was it like shooting in the airport, and how did you ensure you caught all the best moments?
Don> A flight full of people is a flight full of gifts to shop, wrap and deliver within 4.5 hours. The original spot, titled ‘Real Time Giving’, says it all.
Here, once a kid told Santa a gift, the Toronto team coordinated with the Calgary folks to begin shopping, strategically marking some of the key gifts that we knew we wanted to capture, as well as key guests who we wanted for our story.
LBB> Overall, do you have any fun anecdotes from this experience?
Jennifer> Every shoot is a great experience, but year-over-year, ‘Christmas Miracle’ is always the most heart-warming. The wildest memory this year was hearing from the team that as they finished loading the truck full of gifts and were ready to leave for the airport in Calgary, its battery died, meaning we needed to wait for a boost. Thankfully, it was a quick delay, but our hearts were pumping!
LBB> Since launch, what has the response to the campaign been like?
Jennifer> So wonderful! ‘Christmas Miracle’ is not just a beloved moment for the guests and WestJetters, it is a tradition people look forward to year after year and share globally.
So far, this year’s ‘Christmas Miracle’ has amassed over 2 million views and is driving strong engagement on social, with hundreds of comments and over 1,000 shares.
LBB> Finally, what’s your favourite gift that you saw given?
Don> For me, it’s the ones that reflect pop culture that hit. I can't pick between an avocado and a friendship bracelet.
Jennifer> One of my favourites is the family who was gifted a trip to Italy. As I know from personal experience, they’re in for a treat!
