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WESTJET

The combination of delays, cancellations and complications means that air travel is often an onerous task. In spring 2004, WestJet greatly enhanced national service, with expanded route and frequency throughout central and eastern Canada. To support this move, WestJet charged Taxi with the development of a TV launch campaign.

Although WestJet's pricing is clearly attractive, the agency did not want to position the airline as a price brand. The airline has one of the highest performance rankings in North America for on-time arrivals and departures, while its planes have leather seats and lots of leg room. It all added up to a better experience. The other important consideration was the consumer profile. WestJet was targeting a very specific segment of the market: fliers who are cost-conscious and have more flexibility in their schedule than a busy senior executive frequent flyer. Ease of travel, friendly service, simple but nice amenities and low fares are what count.

The creative idea for the campaign was a tongue-in-cheek spoof of those ever-present medical ads that invite parody. In this case, the ailment in question was Advanced Airline Dissatisfaction Syndrome. Taking this approach allowed Taxi to send two very clear signals: first, that WestJet understood what people hate about airline travel and second, and more importantly, that the WestJet experience was going to be more pleasant than they'd ever experienced before. As the campaign states: "It's nicer up here."

And it seems that being nice does pay. The company has gained significant market share over the past 15 months. WestJet now accounts for just under 30% of domestic air travel and is on its way to becoming the largest player in the domestic market.

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