People all over the world were talking about the white spy balloons. They were trending on social media and on the news. Some people thought they were aliens, others started shooting at them. They became a cultural phenomenon. So WhatsApp saw this as an opportunity to spread a message about the importance of privacy protection.

The brief was to use an innovative approach to drive home the key message that "Only WhatsApp’s multiple layers of protection allow people to message privately, so that they feel safe and share more." By focusing on the moments in life when the need for privacy is felt most.

In response to the white spy balloons that flew all over the world collecting information and tracking people’s phone calls and messages, WhatsApp, the world’s most private messaging app took to the skies to announce its commitment to protecting everyone’s privacy in a never seen before experiential activation, by launching: The Privacy Balloon.

Turning the same object that made people worry about their privacy, to one that protected it.

The replica of the real spy balloons flew, spreading a reassuring message that allowed individuals on the ground to learn more about WhatsApp’s Multiple Layers of Protection, by simply scanning the QR code equipped on the antennas of the balloon.

The Privacy Balloon was part of a bigger campaign from WhatsApp to position the brand as the leader in messaging privacy. WhatsApp decided to launch the balloon without letting anyone know. At first, it looked like another spy balloon, but when people looked closer, they were surprised to see it had a message from WhatsApp.

The Privacy Balloon was launched in the United States. It flew low enough for people on the ground to receive the message and also high enough to be seen from miles away. Passersby were taking videos and photos of it, creating organic content for the brand on social media. Also, social videos about the activation were created and posted on WhatsApp’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, showing the world what happened. Many users shared and interacted with the posts.

The campaign delivered strong results: 192K new registrations, a 478K incremental lift in daily users, 917K incremental lift in monthly users, and a 23 million increase in messages during the campaign.