Kuoni IQ Test
Kuoni Reisen AG
Issue 44 | September 2017
Agency
Wirz/BBDO
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer Livio Dainese Executive Creative Directors Fernando Perez, Samuel Christ Creative Director Thomas Kurzmeyer Senior Editor Adrian Schräder Art Director Digital Noélie Martin
Production Team
Producer ferrari & kämpfen Director/DoP Luc Kämpfen
Other Credits
Managing Director Petra Dreyfus Account Supervisor Simone Jehle Account Director Fabiana Imhof Account Supervisor Digital Adrian Huwyler Account Director Digital Sasha Djabbari Agency Producer Bettina Fässler
Date
January 2017
Background
Kuoni was Switzerland's largest and best known travel agency. For years they had based their communications on the claim, "Vacations that make you forget everything". The brief was for promotional activities with corresponding response elements. The main objective was to generate traffic into Kuoni branches and attract new customers.
Idea
By using a university study as scientific verification of the Kuoni claim, "Vacations that make you forget everything", a very unusual offer was created: Lower IQ or money back. Kuoni customers were invited to take IQ tests before and after the holidays and were reimbursed some of the money (in form of a travel voucher for their next trip) if their IQ was the same or higher after their holiday.
Results
During the promotion period, traffic to Kuoni offices was at a year's high. Sales went up by 43%. 52% came from first-time customers. The value of the free media coverage exceeded the campaign budget by 800%. Since the promotion finished only shortly before publication of Directory, there was no marketing research available yet, but there is evidence to suggest the campaign went some way towards rejuvenating the brand image.
Our Thoughts
Don't you just love it when you come across an idea that actually sells?
This 'sticky' concept attracted attention because it is the very opposite of what you'd normally consider desirable. In this context, a lower IQ doesn't mean more stupid. It means more chillaxed.
That's what makes it funny, this reversal of meaning. And by golly, it worked.
Rather than report on the number of 'likes' and 'shares' the campaign generated, here's an agency reporting a sales hike of 43%.
Who knows what those numbers mean in terms of incremental revenue, in terms of the bottom line, but so what? 43% says to me this is an ad agency doing what agencies must do to be of real value to their clients. David Ogilvy didn't say "We engage or else..."