Air Transat encourages Canadians to step out of their comfort zone

MONTREAL, May 2, 2023 /CNW/ - Air Transat launched today its new promotional campaign in Canada: Time to go. Encouraging Canadians to step out of their comfort zone, this advertising campaign shows that it is essential to travel in order to recharge one's batteries and escape the monotony of everyday life.

Developed in collaboration with creative agency Sid Lee, the campaign is built around videos featuring protagonists in their routine that has gotten too comfortable: a couple asleep in front of the TV, a man working on one of his numerous motorcycles in his garage, and a woman watering hundreds of plants in her apartment. The brand's message is directly inspired by the habits of staying at home that many have developed in an excessive way since the pandemic.

"Time to go is perfectly aligned with our mission, which encourages us to benefit from the transformative power of travel – openness," says Joseph Adamo, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Transat. "We believe that one of the best ways to grow personally is to get out of that comfortable routine."

"Comfort zones allow us to relax and take solace in the familiar, but sooner or later, there comes a time when we want to shake things up," adds Brian Gill, Creative Director at Sid Lee. "Time to go is about that moment of realization when we say to ourselves: 'I need some adventure,' and there is no better way to expand our horizons than through travel."

Rolled out in Quebec and Ontario, the campaign includes 30-, 15- and 6-second video ads, in addition to a radio ad. The multiplatform campaign can also be seen in online media and on various types of billboards. Most of these placements include a message contextualized to the location of the ad that encourages people to question their habits and comfort zone, and ultimately, the need to spice things up through travel.

The campaign also features a creative media initiative to transpose the concept of the campaign to a concrete context of everyday life. With the help of Eat It Up Media, a pizza box using Air Transat's colours was developed to directly address future travellers. When people order this comfort food at one of the 45 participating pizzerias in the Greater Toronto Area and Montreal, the box will include a question that will make them realize that it's time to go, as well as share information about the promotion along with a QR code leading to the promotion page.

For the launch of its new campaign, Air Transat invites travellers to step out of their comfort zone and discover the benefits of travel by offering great prices on flights to Europe and the United States. Round-trip flights to Europe start at $799, one-way flights from Toronto to Florida start at $149, and one-way flights from Montreal to California start at $249.

Founded in Montreal 35 years ago, Air Transat is a leading leisure travel brand. Voted North America's Best Leisure Airline by passengers at the 2022 Skytrax World Airline Awards, it flies to international, transborder and Canadian destinations. It is renewing its fleet with the greenest aircraft in their category as part of a commitment to a healthier environment, knowing that this is essential to its operations and the magnificent destinations it offers. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc. (TSX: TRZ).

Sid Lee is a borderless creative agency applying storytelling, design and technology to build customer experiences that matter. Their multi-disciplinary team of 900 professionals works as one out of offices in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Paris, London, LA and Seattle. Working side by side with progressive clients, they deploy their creative capabilities in several disciplines, ranging from design to interactive and experiential communication to advertising and architecture. Practicing agile creative and production development, as well as radical collaboration both internally and with their clients, they create work that matters, allowing their clients to outperform their competitors and earn the trust and loyalty of their customers.

Offering fully integrated solutions across the globe, Sid Lee is a member of kyu, a collective of top-tier global creative companies — including IDEO and SYPartners — established by Hakuhodo DY Holdings, the second-largest agency network in Asia. Together, we propel our belief that creativity has the power to move the economy and society forward. Sid Lee also imagined C2 Montreal, one of the largest innovation conferences in the world.

Client: Air Transat

Marketing team - Air Transat: Xavier Szwengler, Valérie Martin, Cathie Bourassa, Lindsay Kay, Martin Moreau

Media team - Air Transat: Sabrina Antenucci, Caroline Blanchet, Émilie Bertrand

Creative Agency: Sid Lee

• Executive Creative Director: Alex Bernier
• Creative Direction: Brian Gill
• Copywriter: Thierry Faucher
• Artistic Director: Pascal Gagnon
• Creative Team: Jany Lemaire, Charlotte Boisclair, Richard Nadeau, Julia Maron, Andréane Voyer, Marie-Elaine Benoit, Juliette Lespérance
• Strategy: Elisabeth Jamot, Marilyse Dionne, Gonzague Mulot
• VP Account Services: Garcí Iñigo
• Group Account Director: Ariane Poitras
• Account Director: Anne Simard
• Account Supervisor: Charlotte Salaun
• Account Services Coordinator: Sandrine Roussin
• Executive Producer: Carolyne Goyette
• Production: Catherine Ducharme, Catherine Savoie

Video Production: Colossale

• Director: Paul Sam Johnston
• Executive Producer: Mathieu Leduc
• Producer: Sise Drummond
• Production Manager: Vlad Doclin
• 1st Assistant Director: Cédrick Kluyskens
• Director of Photography: Simran Dewan
• Artistic Director: Yola Van Leeuwenkamp

Video Post-Production: Sid Lee

• Offline: Eloi Arsenault, Benoit Marcoux
• Motion: Noah Dauphinais and Walissimé
• Colo: Simon Boix (Arketype)
• Online: Gregory Kaufman (Arketype)
• Assistant Editor: Sonya Nadon and ZAP
• Post-Production Producer: Andréanne Denis and Fanny Richelet
• Post-Production Coordinator: Tony Nedyj

Audio and Music:

• Sound Recording/Mix: Gino Visconti (Cult Nation)
• Project Manager: Arnaud Coutray De Pradel (Cult Nation)
• Coordinator: Roxanne Lamarche (Cult Nation)
• Music: Signing Trees, Doo Dah Music

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.