A smile is known to uplift a person’s emotional state - even if it’s fake. Smiling wide, regardless of circumstance, is scientifically proven to improve mood and reduce stress.

So we created the world’s first reward machine powered by smiles.

Smile Booth used facial-recognition technology to detect grinning faces and dispense prizes to over 7,400 AIR MILES Collectors. One part vending machine, one part photo booth, Smile Booth was activated when Collectors posed with their AIR MILES card and smiled wide – prompting a socially-sharable photo and a mystery gift that was dispensed from the machine. Inside the gift boxes were AIR MILES rewards and partner prizes, customized for individual retailers and locations.

Smile Booths leveraged object-recognition technology and smile-detection software to recognize not only the colours of a Collector’s AIR MILES card, but also their smile, ultimately triggering the photo. A transparent digital touchscreen previewed gift boxes, allowing Collectors to take a peek at the prizes that were just a smile away.

The activation was amplified with digital superboards in major Canadian cities, which featured real-time collages of Collector smiles, updated as photos were taken at retail. Additional channels included influencer relations and a digital media strategy focused on incentivizing organic awareness using the #Smiles4Miles hashtag – which was already spreading organically. After all, who doesn’t want to show off their smile?

Results met and exceeded all target KPIs, proving that AIR MILES had successfully leveraged innovative technology to drive one-on-one interactions and inspire Collectors to fall in love with the brand again.

Awareness:

- 19 million combined social impressions across Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter (organic + paid)

- 4.9 million+ earned media impressions from 75 stories

Brand Engagement:

- Over the first three days, Smile Booths captured over 1,000 smiles and garnered over 1 million social impressions

- 7,400 Smile Booth visits by Collectors

- 12% increase for total Collector transactions

- 13% increase in net new Collectors

Participant Attitude and Behaviour Impact:

- 90% agreed it was a unique, cool, innovative, and an “unexpected surprise”

- 75% said it made them want to earn more Miles

- 69% felt encouraged to visit AIR MILES Partners more often

- 80% told or would tell family and friends about the Smile Booth