Christmas Flight by Graphene – LATAM | Clapboard Ad Archive

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Christmas flight - Latam | Clapboard Ad Archive

LATAM Airlines’ Christmas Flight campaign, conceived by Graphene and launched in Chile in the 2016 holiday season, reframed the holiday travel experience within the highly competitive travel and leisure market by transforming a routine flight into a vessel for wonder and emotional resonance. Addressing the particular tension families face when traveling on Christmas Eve, LATAM orchestrated an ambitious experiential activation in which children aboard selected flights were given the chance to witness the iconic spectacle of Santa Claus flying across the sky, his sleigh drawn by reindeer—a moment engineered not as mere entertainment, but as a powerful gesture of customer empathy that elevated the brand far beyond the transactional reality of air travel. In doing so, the campaign transcended the limitations of product-driven messaging by leveraging one of the world’s most universally recognized festive symbols, embodying what Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#9—Symbolize the Benefit; instead of dramatizing utility or resolving consumer pain-points, Christmas Flight positioned the visual language of Santa’s sleigh as the living metaphor for LATAM’s promise to deliver not just passengers but intangible moments of joy and togetherness, even at 30,000 feet. The sole media asset—distributed internationally in English—relied on evocative, visual storytelling rather than literal features or functional demonstrations, using the mythos of Christmas to create an indelible moment that reframed the airline’s role from that of a facilitator of movement to a guardian of family ritual and childhood wonder, sparking positive consumer sentiment and sparking broad resonance among parents, children, and broader audiences alike. In a category where utility and logistics often eclipse softer attributes, Christmas Flight both humanized the LATAM brand and demonstrated how large-scale experiential marketing can animate a brand’s core values with scale and finesse, reinforcing the relevance of emotional storytelling as a differentiator amid price- and feature-led competitors. The campaign earns 63/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. As airlines and transport brands seek new ways to foster loyalty and emotional connection during culturally charged moments, Christmas Flight remains a case study in how symbolic spectacle can deliver meaningful brand distinction and customer goodwill.

Credits

Client

Latam

Agency

Graphene

Creative Director

Chavo D´Emilio

Creatives

Ezequiel Rocino, Pablo Miñarro

Production House

Federico Salday, Ketama

Account Management

Victoria Ortelli

Producer

Nicolás Ferrero, Camila Brugues

Film Director

Alvaro Vazquez

Category Mind Map

48%

The "Christmas Flight" campaign by Latam Airlines, created by Graphene for the Chilean market in 2016, leverages the brand’s commitment to creating meaningful, memorable experiences for its customers, particularly during emotionally significant moments. The campaign’s proposition centers on Latam as more than just a transport provider; it positions the airline as a facilitator of joy and wonder for families, emphasizing its attentiveness to passengers’ emotional needs during the holiday season. By ensuring children flying on Christmas Eve could still engage with the magic of the holiday, Latam underscores its promise to deliver not only safe and reliable travel but also emotional connection and care. Strategically, the campaign taps into an insightful understanding of the unique challenges faced by families traveling during Christmas—a time usually associated with togetherness and celebration. The creative narrative employs an experiential approach by orchestrating a live event where kids onboard experienced the sight of Santa Claus with his reindeer, bringing the holiday story to life within the context of air travel. This angle creates a powerful emotional resonance with the audience, differentiating Latam from competitors by highlighting empathy and added value beyond the functional service of transportation. The targeting is precise, focusing on families and specifically children traveling on a traditionally special day, thus turning a potentially isolating experience into a joyful and memorable one. The campaign’s narrative-driven and experiential format reinforces Latam’s brand image as attentive and customer-centric, contributing to customer loyalty in a highly competitive travel market.

FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact. This campaign fits FORMAT#9 because Latam Airlines orchestrated a magical experiential moment where children flying on Christmas Eve saw "Santa Claus riding his sleigh, led by reindeers." This isn’t a literal demonstration or a storytelling arc with a product-driven resolution, but rather the use of a universally recognized symbol (Santa’s sleigh) to represent the airline’s ability to deliver magic, wonder, and memorable experiences even when families are away from home during the holidays. The campaign leverages symbolic spectacle to embody the emotional benefit Latam offers—making travel special—rather than dramatizing a problem/solution or focusing on explicit product features.

1. Sky Airline – Positioned as a low-cost carrier in the South American market, Sky Airline emphasizes affordable fares and efficient service, targeting budget-conscious travelers who prioritize value without sacrificing reliability on domestic and regional routes. 2. Aerolineas Argentinas – As the flag carrier of Argentina, Aerolineas Argentinas combines a strong national identity with a broad route network, focusing on comfort and comprehensive service to maintain dominance in both domestic and international markets in South America. 3. Chilean Air Force (Military Charter & Special Missions) – While not a direct commercial competitor, it occasionally influences private transport with specialized regional flights, positioning itself on reliability for essential government and emergency travel in Chile. 4. JetSMART – An ultra-low-cost carrier focused on maximizing accessibility across South America, JetSMART differentiates itself through no-frills service, aggressive pricing strategies, and a modern fleet aimed at stimulating new markets and first-time flyers. 5. Copa Airlines – Based in Panama but serving many South American destinations, Copa Airlines leverages its strategic hub in Panama City to offer efficient connections and high-frequency flights, focusing on business travelers requiring seamless transit across the Americas.

Q: What is Christmas flight about? A: Christmas flight is a professional campaign launched in Chile in 2016 by the agency Graphene for Latam Airlines. The campaign was designed as an experiential activation to ensure that children traveling on Christmas Eve could still experience the magic of the holiday. By orchestrating a live event where kids onboard witnessed Santa Claus riding his sleigh with reindeers, Latam Airlines created a memorable and emotionally resonant moment for families in transit. The campaign was distributed in English and aimed to reinforce Latam’s commitment to customer care during significant cultural occasions. Q: What creative device does Christmas flight use? A: Christmas flight employs FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. This creative approach uses universally recognized symbols—in this case, Santa Claus and his sleigh—to represent the positive impact of the brand. Rather than focusing on product features or a direct problem-solution narrative, the campaign leverages symbolic spectacle to embody Latam Airlines’ ability to deliver wonder and memorable experiences, especially during emotionally significant times like Christmas, thus making the brand’s emotional benefit tangible to its audience. Q: What is the campaign proposition for Christmas flight? A: The campaign proposition for Christmas flight centers on positioning Latam Airlines as more than a transportation provider, but as a facilitator of joy and wonder for families during the holiday season. By ensuring that children flying on Christmas Eve could still engage with the magic of Christmas, Latam demonstrates its attentiveness to passengers’ emotional needs. This strategy targets families and children, transforming a potentially isolating travel experience into a joyful memory, and reinforces Latam’s brand image as customer-centric and empathetic within the competitive travel and leisure market. Q: How does Christmas flight rank in Clapboard's archive? A: Christmas flight holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 63/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, the quality of its experiential execution, and its cultural relevance in connecting with families during a key holiday moment. Q: Who are the competitors in Latam's category? A: In the South American travel and leisure sector, Latam faces competition from Sky Airline, which targets budget-conscious travelers with affordable fares and efficient service, and Aerolineas Argentinas, which leverages national identity and a broad network to offer comprehensive service. JetSMART competes as an ultra-low-cost carrier focused on accessibility and aggressive pricing, while Copa Airlines uses its Panama City hub to provide seamless connections for business travelers across the Americas. The Chilean Air Force, though not a commercial airline, occasionally influences the market with specialized government and emergency flights, emphasizing reliability for essential travel.