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The Big Wave Goodbye

Schiphol

Issue 26 | March 2013

Agency

FHV BBDO

Creative Team

Executive Creative Directors: Mark Muller & Martin Cornelissen Creatives: Tim de Waard, Daniel Samama

Production Team

Technical realisation: Mediamonks Animation: Woodwork

Other Credits

Account Management: Lidewij Baneke, Nanja Huijgen, Ellen Visee Strategy: Arnd-Jan Gulmans Clients: Patricia Louridtz-De Boer, Carolijn Schoofs

Date

October 15, 2012

Background

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was the biggest Airport in the Netherlands. However, the rise of other airports and lowcost carriers meant passengers could choose to fly from other locations. Passengers needed to be encouraged to develop an emotional preference for Schiphol.

Idea

It is a time-honoured tradition to wave goodbye to someone who is leaving on a journey. A small gesture with huge emotional value.

That tradition was turned into an interactive service at Schiphol through The Big Wave Goodbye.

At schiphol.nl and on the airport’s Facebook page, people could wave goodbye to their family and friends. Of course, they then asked all their friends to join them in waving goodbye. When the unsuspecting friend arrived at Schiphol for his or her flight, they saw all their friends waving goodbye on a big screen. They also got a clip sent to their mobile phones of a compilation of all the goodbye wavers. This service made departing from Schiphol just a little bit more special and personal.

Results

In the first phase, almost 3,000 friends have been waved off by their social networks. The idea was deemed to be such a success, Schiphol decided to make The Big Wave Goodbye a permanent service.

Our Thoughts

I guess this works through GPS recognition so that as you walk through the airport (and boy, do you have to do a lot of walking at Schiphol) each of the screens there picks you up and shows you your friends waving. I’m not sure how they keep this a secret from the traveller until they get to the airport. And having a compilation video sent to your mobile probably guarantees a few tears on the flight out but this is a sweet little idea about making people feel good about each other and, by extension, about the airport. PC

Good on the client for not muddying the emotional purity of this idea with product benefits. JA