The SWISS LX Forty campaign was designed to raise the profile of Switzerland’s national airline. With a very limited paid media budget, our challenge was to maximise the investment by using word-of-mouth and PR. The centerpiece of the campaign was a short film we commissioned from world renowned Swiss director Marc Forster (007 Quantum of Solace, The Kite Runner, and Monster’s Ball) to create someting SWISS MADE, in his own way. A multimedia campaign that reflects the director’s vision drew viewers to an online premiere where they could see his film and experience the SWISS brand.

The campaign consisted of two phases. A tease phase relied on word-of-mouth and PR to build interest. To spark conversation, we teased news about a new, secret film being created by Marc Forster in discussion groups, blogs and social media. With interest high, the second phase revealed that the film was created for SWISS. TV, viral film, press ads, movie posters and online banners worked together with PR to deliver a huge audience for an online premiere on a SWISS site. The film takes the viewers through the mind of the director. It’s his flight, SWISS MADE.

During the life of the campaign, we generated 24 million contacts through paid media and a massive 50 million contacts through free media. With a total of 74 million contacts, we were able to quadruple SWISS’s investment helping to significantly boost their awareness and SWISS MADE message. From the positive responses in blogs, social media and press it’s clear that those exposed to the film and the brand experience were rewarded for their time spent with SWISS…just like they are onboard a SWISS flight.