Cute animal superheroes with extraordinary skills are sure to delight young and old alike and run Youtube videos ragged. Okay, so most people like cute, but 74% of us LOVE dogs (according to Associated Press/Petside.com poll). Mix fuzzy, heart-stopping cuteness and puppy wiggles with super-sense and you have one amazing marketing opportunity. One such masterful promotion was launched by KLM Airlines as part of their marketing campaign, and it went viral!
With flopping ears, blue KLM uniform and even a name tag, the video highlights a KLM Lost and Found Beagle finding and returning items to (sniffing out) their owners throughout an airport. With behind the scenes footage of the rigorous training this beagle goes through and the testimonials of KLM staff, they were able to create a captivating, feel good and seemingly credible service promotion. (Dogs are trained to sniff out all sorts of things, right? Why not connect lost items with their owners?) It was so believable that many people and news outlets around the world believed it. But it disappointed many (including myself) as it was discovered to be a marketing stunt, devoid of the whole point of the video. The resulting fall-out left some feeling heartache for being deceived into believing something to be real that wasn’t. Others seemed to be able to appreciate the brilliant business tactic in drawing attention from all corners of the globe to the KLM brand (regardless of whether their information was true or not).
Looking at the positive side, it is a great story. Imagining a Superhero Beagle Brigade specializing in brightening a traveler’s day through a good-hearted rescue and return service, is a delightful prospect. In fact, travelers and non-travelers alike would all benefit from these little, mood-enhancing creatures. Deploy the beagles! Airports around the world are in need of you!
KLM’s Lost and Found Beagle Superhero Video
On a serious note, if you do end up losing a losing an item on a KLM flight, you can go their website lost and found. Surprisingly enough, it was not easy to find the link to their lost and found section and the information was scarce. It left us wishing the Beagle Lost and Found service was real.
Leave a Reply