Christmas Miracle: Real-time Giving

Why it works

Passengers waiting for Calgary-bound flights in Toronto and Hamilton scanned their boarding passes at a kiosk and found a live 'virtual Santa' asking what they wanted for Christmas. While they flew, around 150 WestJet staff volunteers bought and wrapped the gifts, and when the more than 250 passengers landed a few hours later their presents came round on the baggage carousel, from TVs to socks. Hidden cameras caught it all, and the film went up on WestJet's YouTube channel in December 2013; The Globe and Mail reported a million views in its first day. It is studied as the template for the brand-staged kindness film, in which the experience is real but the true medium is online video, and as an airline turning the busiest, most stressful season for air travel into its best story. In its award entries WestJet reported more than 35 million YouTube views and an 86% rise in sales against the same period a year earlier. It won in three categories at the Shorty Awards.