Air Canada Toronto stopover campaign

70%+

YoY demand for stopover flights

13:1

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

337%+

Increase in search YoY

Overview

Toronto is a cultural center and business capital of Canada. It’s is also the gateway to a variety of overseas locations and features over 200 connections with Air Canada, the country’s largest airline and the exclusive transit partner for #TorontoStopover. Tourism Toronto, Air Canada, and more recently, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (Toronto Pearson Airport), joined forces to increase market share by highlighting the city as the ideal stopover destination.

The Opportunity

Air Canada and Tourism Toronto’s shared goal was to engage with U.S. travelers going to or from Asia and Europe, and U.K travelers going to or from the U.S. by showcasing Toronto’s unique, dynamic experiences. Following an original #TorontoStopover campaign in 2017 that first promoted Toronto as a desirable stopover destination, their latest campaign expanded on this initial concept. By collaborating with us, the partners were able to promote Air Canada’s Toronto hub as a natural connection point on long-distance trips because flight routes between the U.S. and Asia or Europe already fly over Canada.

The Solution

Using insights from Media Solutions’ first-party data, the campaign leveraged an opportunity to reach qualified travelers and encourage destination explorations to drive stopover demand for Toronto.

An interactive microsite brought the campaign to life, showcasing and positioning Toronto as an exciting destination that could be accessed through a stopover at no additional airfare cost— a deal that was exclusively available to Air Canada travelers.

The site featured local Toronto offerings with videos, insider travel tips, transportation information, nearby hotel options, and neighborhood guides. To ensure a personalized experience for each user, the microsite used Trip Discovery, an interactive landing page solution that provided potential travelers with targeted recommendations based on their interests and travel habits.

With a myriad of content for users to explore, #TorontoStopover highlighted the convenience of stopping in Toronto and encouraged travelers to experience everything the city has to offer. The microsite received traffic with sophisticated, dynamic display advertising that targeted British travelers searching for flights to the U.S. and American travelers searching for flights to Europe or Asia.

The Results

By combining an interactive digital experience with inspiring content, and our unique targeting capabilities, the #TorontoStopover campaign successfully drove traveler inspiration and positioned Toronto as an ideal stopover destination.

During the campaign period, Air Canada experienced a nearly 70% year-over-year increase in demand with a stopover in Toronto. The campaign also drove a return on ad spend of nearly 13:1, and #Toronto Stopover saw 337% increased growth in search from Sept. 2018-Sept. 2019, proving the campaign’s impact on destination interest and driving stopover demand.