Just as I was planning some travel to Europe, I was reminded of Icelandair's smart "Stopover Buddy" campaign. It's exactly as it sounds: you take advantage of Icelandair's consistently-promoted stopover itinerary and instead of simply enjoying a few days while saving on ticket costs, you can arrange for an Icelandair employee to be your on-the-ground buddy.
The campaign will resume this fall, but has us smiling for a number of reasons (and trying to find an excuse to stop over):
1) This is a seamless and more human extension of the airline's longstanding stopover campaign further leveraging both Iceland and Icelandair's unique equities in a distinct, defensible proposition that elevates it above the competition.
2) It's designed to benefit all involved, and extend the value beyond cost savings for the consumer or brand awareness for the airline. In this model, the flyer gets a friendly, local's-view of Reykjavik, the "buddy" (an airline employee) gets to share and show off the best of their area while making new friends and the brand, of course, creates a much more compelling reason to book.
3) Icelandair is the airline industry leader of a wider trend among travelers who seek to peel back the touristy layers and dig deep into authentic experiences and real belonging — an emotional benefit AirBnB has focused on owning through campaigns, social promotions and host training.
And, it gets better: as an evolution to the original Stopover Buddy program, travelers can now choose a buddy based on preferred experiences, such as adventure, food, culture, and nature.