Client: Flights.com

Title of Campagin: "Unboxing”

Background : Unboxing" was a campaign we created for Flights.com to disrupt Apple's iPhone 8 release. Our message: Buying a new phone won't make you happier, but traveling will. For the campaign, I wrote taglines, social ad copy, articles, and on-page content; edited the YouTube script and articles from fellow writers; and rooted on our street team in NYC as they convinced customers to leave the Apple line for a free vacation through Flights.com.

Results/Stats

• 772,361 views of YouTube video

• 153% increase in YouTube subscribers

• 50% increase in traffic to the targeted pages

• 291% increase in social traffic

• Won the bronze Bernays Award in Webcasts category

• Won the gold Stevie Award for Viral Marketing Campaign

• Won the bronze American Advertising Awards (ADDY) for Cross-Platform Campaign and Virtual Reality Experience.

“Unboxing,” Flights.com’s latest campaign, is challenging iPhone fans and tech enthusiasts to skip the lines in favor of going on a trip.

Flights.com’s full-scale campaign was developed in time for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X releases, and includes a microsite with travel articles, a parody video based on famous “unboxing” clips (where commentators reveal the latest gadgets with real-time reviews), a customized Snapchat filter, and a street team mobilized in New York City to convince shoppers to leave the Apple line in exchange for a free vacation.

On the day of the iPhone 8 release, the street team—clad in bright Hawaiian themed attire—arrived in the SoHo and Midtown neighborhoods of New York City with a challenge: Would die-hard fans eager for the new product be willing to leave the line for a free trip?

To set the tone, the Flights.com crew handed out fresh leis shipped from Hawaii, virtual reality goggles that played inspirational vacation scenes, and had a video truck flash the campaign message. Finally, the team dared shoppers to ditch the line in exchange for a vacation.

In a matter of minutes, three people left the line and won $1,000 to spend on a trip anywhere in the world. According to interviews with the winners, one prize-holder is on his way to Dubai, another is heading to Hawaii, and a third is now planning her trip to London.

“Unboxing” is a part of a larger mission of Flights.com to become an experience-based travel brand. This year’s campaign complements their previous “Don’t Skip the Trip” campaign that urged viewers to skip out on working through the holidays to travel to places they love and enjoy the season with family and friends.

Flights.com aims to remind travelers that there are moments they shouldn’t skip and experiences they can’t miss. Anyone can buy another phone or gadget—but traveling and creating new memories will result in happiness that lasts longer than the latest iOS update.

There are experiences we hold onto long after we travel. That one crazy concert that seemed to last all night. That one sports game when the score was tied until the audacious move in the final seconds. And that one fairytale town you took your kids to and they still don’t know if it was make-believe or not.

When it comes it our happiness levels, we can buy things and we can buy stuff. But studies show that experiences make us happier. And there’s no better way to experience life than to travel to new places. So the question is: Where should you travel next?

We know you’ve already heard about the Austins and the New Yorks, but what about the unexpected? What about the places that leave you surprised, intrigued, and maybe even with a gob of face paint still on your cheeks on your way home? Perhaps the places you may have never even thought of? Flights.com is proud to present the coolest cities in America you simply have to experience for yourself. Ready? Let’s do this.

Durham, North carolina

Beer. Oh, sweet beer. If you want to experience more sudsy goodness than you know what to do with, a trip to Durham, North Carolina, during World Beer Festival Durham is in order. Now in its 22nd year, this event offers about 250 beers for you to taste.

While you’re here:

Hang out in the American Tobacco District, which was formerly the Lucky Strike cigarette factory and has been transformed into an entertainment destination, with art shows, shops, and live music.

Are you a Duke fan? If that’s the case, a visit to the Duke Basketball Museum & Sports Hall of Fame is the perfect way to spend your afternoon.

Back to beer! There are so many breweries around here, you simply need to take your pick. This includes favorites like Fullsteam Brewery, Ponysaurus Brewing Company, and Durty Bull Brewing Company—just to name a few.