CASE 98 / KLM Royal Dutch Airlines / 2014
Live High Five
Two distant streets became a simple cooperative game that illustrated an airline’s connecting role.
AI-assisted research and analysis for the SNS Creative Fieldbook; published by SNS Media Tech. No named human reviewer is claimed.
Sources reviewed 2026-11-05
Campaign credits belong to the original creators. They did not write or endorse this analysis.
Credits: Eigen Fabrikaat for KLM; film and installation by Minivegas, according to Direct New Ideas. The brand’s newsroom independently confirms the event and sales-promotion context.
Recognition: No award claim is made in this brief.
Launch / edition: 2014. Award years: No award claim.
The problem. The idea. The experience.
KLM wanted attention for its World Deal Weeks. The high-five was already a campaign symbol, so the event translated an existing promotional gesture into something people could perform together rather than introducing an unrelated stunt.
How the idea came to life
On 28 August 2014, live-video installations connected people in Amsterdam and New York. Participants tried to complete a synchronized on-screen high-five; successful attempts made them eligible to win tickets between the cities.
How it reached people
KLM published a film of the interactions. The trade case says it first targeted Dutch audiences through KLM’s social channels. The broader World Deal Weeks ran from 27 August to 15 September 2014, giving the entertainment a defined sales window.
Supporting sources: Primary brand announcement → Trade case study →
Read the data in context.
The numbers below describe different kinds of outcomes. Their date, scope and reporting source are part of the result.
- Reporting period
- First two weeks of film distribution in 2014; exact dates unstated
- Scope
- Unique views as described by the trade case; platform definition and deduplication unavailable
- Evidence
- Trade case study, not independent audit
Direct New Ideas reports more than 910,000 unique film views in two weeks. It does not explain the platform methodology behind “unique.” KLM’s own announcement describes hundreds of people meeting through the installations, but supplies no attributable ticket-sales result.
The creative mechanism.
A familiar shared gesture gives strangers a clear reason to coordinate across a live link
Make the required action understandable at a glance
A street activation competes with people’s desire to keep moving. A recognizable gesture reduces explanation and lets bystanders understand the stakes. Choose an action that is accessible to the actual audience, provide alternatives where necessary and avoid designing participation around a single assumed physical ability.
Give participants a shared problem, not just a camera
A live connection alone can produce awkward waiting. A modest cooperative task gives strangers something to coordinate and supplies a natural beginning and end. Test the activity with people who have no script; the best interaction should still make sense when nobody performs unusually well.
Connect the event metaphor to the business role
An airline connects distant places, so the transatlantic interaction had a recognizable relationship to the service. For an adaptation, articulate that relationship in one sentence before building technology. If the same experience works unchanged for any sponsor, the brand may be renting attention rather than explaining its value.
Design separately for the street and the later viewer
The participant needs clear instructions, consent and an enjoyable experience. The film viewer needs context and an honest account of what happened. Camera placement, permissions and editing plans should serve both without turning spontaneous interactions into a misleading claim about universal reactions or guaranteed prizes.
The intended behavior loop
- 01See a recognizable challenge
- 02Coordinate with someone elsewhere
- 03Complete a shared moment
- 04Watch or share the event recap
Growth job: Attract attention to a fare promotion → make connection tangible → extend the event through film. This is an interpretation of the mechanism, not an audited attribution model.
A direction to take into the room.
Original editorial interpretation and proposed adaptation. This is a proposed adaptation, not historical campaign execution or a forecast.
The transferable principle
Use a simple cooperative action to make the service’s real connecting role tangible.
Keep these boundaries
Do not imitate the installation, imply every participant wins, or assume an impressive event film proves increased sales.
Turn the lesson into a test.
Illustrative adaptation, not a historical campaign fact
A small-team experiment
Two independent sister venues host a scheduled, consent-based video exchange in which guests solve one short local-knowledge puzzle together.
Build the test
- Use existing video equipment, accessible participation options and clear prize rules if any reward is offered.
- Test latency and facilitator instructions before inviting guests; keep the task short and easy to observe.
- Request separate permission before recording or using an interaction in promotion, and make a factual short recap.
Measure the right thing
Count completed interactions, voluntary recap views and relevant offer visits separately; ask whether people understood the connection between the venues.
Know when to stop
Stop if connectivity frustrates participants, consent is unclear or the task excludes guests without a workable alternative.
How this reading fits your brief
Start with the useful part.
Best for: Attract attention to a fare promotion → make connection tangible → extend the event through film
What to adapt: Use a simple cooperative action to make the service’s real connecting role tangible.
Prerequisites: Reliable live link and facilitators; Accessible participation design; Recording consent and clear promotion rules; Relevant offer during event window.
Smaller-team route: Two independent sister venues host a scheduled, consent-based video exchange in which guests solve one short local-knowledge puzzle together. Constraint: Do not imitate the installation, imply every participant wins, or assume an impressive event film proves increased sales.
Budget: Not established by the cited sources. No cost-fit claim is made.
Trade-offs and evidence: Read the limits below before choosing a test. There is no guaranteed reach, sales lift or ROAS.
Questions for your next brief
- What simple shared action demonstrates how your service connects people?
- Would the activity still be worthwhile without a camera or prize?
Sources & further reading.
Brand and award-entry results are attributed claims, not independent causal audits. Source links open the original third-party pages.
- KLM: Amsterdammers and New Yorkers exchange live high-fives →Primary brand announcement · Supports: 28 August 2014 event; installations, ticket eligibility and World Deal Weeks dates.
- Direct New Ideas: Live High Five →Trade case study · Supports: Agency and production credits, Dutch social distribution and reported two-week film views.
Independent educational analysis of external campaigns. These are not SNS client projects, endorsements or claims of involvement. Campaign facts and reported outcomes are attributed to their sources. Explanations, adaptations and test plans are original analysis and hypotheses, not proven causal findings.