Qantas launch sickening social campaign: #qantasblankcanvas
By Don Ferguson on Sunday, May 11, 2014
Like me, many find the mere notion of the interminable thirty hour flight to the land down-under exhausting, boring and, in the case of those suffering from dickey tummies or in flight nerves, a sickening experience – all things considered.
So, in an effort to boost their social-media standing, Qantas is offering passengers a little old-fashioned in-flight entertainment by incentivising them to get creative on their next trip – using the humble sick bag as a backdrop to show-off their unique artistic abilities.
Although not limited to the vessel intended for puke – with napkins, boarding passes and luggage tags also fair game – during May, all travellers can post their airborne illustrations on Instagram using the hashtag #qantasblankcanvas. The very best creative designs will be in with a chance of winning a double Qantas Club pass.
Described by Qantas’ head of digital as a way to get passengers in touch with their creative side, this rather lovely little, and very simple, mid-air campaign was in fact born out of collaboration with Aussie freelance typographer Gemma O’Brien – who gained internet acclaim for producing her very own series of custom-designed bags on her travels. The inspiration and her very own artworks can be found here on her Tumblr Spew Bag Challenge.
The only slight issue from my perspective is the all-important why? And how this relates to the Qantas customer base. I mean, do more creative people fly more than their unimaginative counterparts? Probably not is the answer. Is it born out of the fact that the social team at the airline saw something that already worked and decided to jump on it like a fly on sh*te? Probably.
Regardless, it seems to be gaining that all important ‘buzz’ so in terms of getting Qantas generally, if slightly sporadically and aimlessly front of mind, it does seem to be working.
Anyway, it looks good, is a lot of fun and offers endless opportunity for puns (i.e. Frankie Says Reflux’), so without further ado, here are some of my favourites …
