The archive · Content & Film · Marketing decision · 2013
WestJet's Christmas Miracle grants passengers' wishes at baggage claim — 40M+ views
WestJet's Santa interviews passengers before takeoff, then 175 volunteers buy their wishes and deliver them on the Calgary baggage carousel — 39.6M+ True Reach.
WestJet
What it had to solve
WestJet, a Canadian airline with a modest video presence, wanted a Christmas surprise that showed what 'giving looked like at its best'. Passengers were about to fly from Toronto and Hamilton to Calgary just before the holidays — a captive audience with known arrival times.
How it works
In December 2013, WestJet passengers waiting to board two Calgary-bound flights from Toronto and Hamilton were invited to video-chat with a Santa avatar and say what they wanted for Christmas. According to the airline, 175 WestJet volunteers across three airports and Santa himself then made the miracle happen for more than 250 guests — while the travellers were in the air, the volunteers went shopping for every wish.
Nineteen hidden cameras captured the wishes at the gate and the reveal on arrival: a festively decorated baggage carousel in Calgary came to life and delivered wrapped presents — toys, tablets, cameras, televisions, socks — instead of luggage. The five-minute film, produced by the airline's agencies Mosaic and Studio M, documented the whole real-time stunt.
The video went viral within days, passing 7.5 million views before its first week was out, and eventually recorded a True Reach of more than 39.6 million, making it the most-viewed holiday branded video of its era and beating the British retailers that normally dominated Christmas advertising. The Ad Age Viral Video Awards named it Best Viral Stunt of 2013.
Why it lands
- The reveal point was guaranteed by logistics: everyone has to wait at baggage claim, so the pay-off moment was structurally built into the journey.
- Capturing wishes before takeoff made the gifts feel personal and specific rather than random prizes.
- Hidden cameras made real passengers the cast, so the film carried documentary authenticity no scripted ad could fake.
- The airline embedded the brand in an act — a WestJet-blue Santa delivering gifts — instead of a sales message.
- It turned an operational moment (waiting for luggage) into the product itself.
What it did
The five-minute film became the most-viewed holiday branded video of its era with a True Reach above 39.6 million, was named Best Viral Stunt of 2013 at the Ad Age Viral Video Awards, and turned WestJet into a video producer people actually wanted to watch.
What you can take
Find the moment your audience has to wait and turn it into the stage: the reveal point was guaranteed by logistics, wishes were captured minutes earlier, and hidden cameras made the payoff feel real.
Since then
WestJet repeated the formula for years: Christmas Miracle 2014 moved the stunt to the Dominican Republic, and later editions reunited holiday workers with their families. The 2013 film stayed the brand's most-viewed campaign and was cited as the work that turned WestJet into a serious branded-video producer, as well as a template for airport 'real-time giving' stunts that other brands copied.
Sources
- IAB Canada's Video Spotlight – December – Christmas Miracle 2014
- Airline, Santa work together to surprise travelers with Christmas wishes
- WestJet surprises plane loads of passengers with Christmas wish list gifts (VIDEO)
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