This year WestJet decided to pull off a pretty crazy marketing campaign.

Feel-good? Check. Fantasy-cum-reality? Check. Pretty cool idea? Double check and check. Everyone loves gifts, but everyone loves real gifts too – ones that come with no obligation or expectation of return. Of course, there’s the whole “WestJet is just boosting its image and improving PR” which is entirely true. At the end of the day this is still a marketing campaign. Campaigns have come a long way though; instead of just seeing the end result, WestJet does a great job of hyping up the event by bringing Youtube viewers into the thrilling experience of joyful, ecstatic, giving AND receiving: seeing the process from set-up to finish includes us in what is a fun time for everyone. You might say this type of campaign appeals to a very wide range of audiences too: children get to participate in the fantasy that Santa Claus is real and wonderful; adults get to experience a nostalgic twinge of wishing for a gift; and even seniors find that they can still be surprised by some things in life. Yes, this is PR, but this is a great way to go about raising goodwill. There are always good marketing campaigns and bad ones, and this one certainly falls under “good” for its cheerful, creative, simplicity and jolly “ho ho ho.”