When Americans Wanted to Flee to Canada, Air Canada Welcomed Them Aboard

When Americans realized Donald Trump running for president wasn’t some sick joke, they freaked—and google searches for “how to move to Canada” skyrocketed. Riding the coattails of this hysteria, JWT and Air Canada launched the “Test Drive Canada” campaign because it only makes sense to visit a place before you pick up your whole life and move there, right? The airline offers nearly 250 daily flights between the U.S. and Canada, perfect for Americans wanting to preview their future home in our neighbor to the north.

JWT creative director David Federico explained, “The unprecedented interest in moving to Canada presented a powerful social context to make Air Canada more relevant to American travelers.” The campaign targeted major U.S. cities like L.A., Washington D.C., San Francisco, New York, and Boston. The brand also made a social media effort to respond to tweets by average Joes and a few celebrities after the California primary.