Who: Air Transat, with Sid Lee for strategy, creative and media; Colossale for production (directed by Paul Sam Johnston).

What: “Time to Go,” a new promotional campaign reminding Canadians who might’ve become somewhat inured to the monotony of everyday life during the pandemic that it’s time to travel again.

When & Where: The campaign launched today in the key Ontario and Quebec markets, running as 30-, 15-, and six-second video ads, accompanied by radio and contextual out-of-home.

Why: Last fall, Air Transat and Sid Lee introduced a new brand platform that was described as a turning point in its history, with a focus on the ways travel can transform people.

This is a promotional campaign promoting multiple Air Transat destinations, including round-trip flights to Europe, one-way flights from Toronto to Florida, and one-way flights from Montreal to California. In keeping with the brand platform, it presents travel as a way to escape the monotony of the day-to-day.

How: The video creative depicts people who’ve become perhaps a little TOO comfortable in their comfort zone—like the young couple content to sit on the couch watching endless Netflix; a man fixing a Sons of Anarchy-esque array of motorcycles in his garage; and a woman tending to a growing collection of houseplants. All of the scenarios conclude with the people looking at their surroundings and coming to the realization that it might be time for a trip.

The campaign includes out-of-home advertising featuring contextually relevant messages like “Is going to the office your weekly outing?”

Sid Lee also partnered with Montreal experiential marketing agency Eat it Up Media to create pizza boxes featuring the Air Transat colours and a message reading “Did you add pineapple to escape your routine?” The airline partnered with 45 pizza shops in Toronto and Montreal to deliver the boxes, which also feature a QR code directing to the promotion page.

“‘Time to Go’ is perfectly aligned with our mission, which encourages us to benefit from the transformative power of travel – openness,” said Joseph Adamo, Transat’s chief sales and marketing officer. “We believe that one of the best ways to grow personally is to get out of that comfortable routine.”

And we quote: “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. ‘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.” — Brian Gill, creative director, Sid Lee