OMAN AIR – THE FIRST DIGITAL HUMAN CHAIN

Initial Situation

Being a national carrier of Oman, Oman Air has always connected people and nations. The sultanate stands for cosmopolitanism and liberalism – as well as for innovation and a mixture of tradition and modernity. On the occasion of the Expo in Milano in 2015, at which Oman Air was represented at the stand of the sultanate Oman, a high-profile advertisement was requested. Considering the current uncertain political background, it was important to set a sign for humanity. The aim was to use social media to captive and move people beyond the exhibition.

Strategy

When people are holding each other’s hands, it signifies friendship. In the age of social media, people are no longer only finding each other through traveling: they meet virtually.

Combo communications visualizes this cross-border connection for Oman Air and creates solidarity, fascination and a competition character. 

Implementation

With the world record attempt, people from all over the world have been invited to upload photos of themselves, their families, friends and colleagues to www.Befriendtheworld.com, to become part of the human chain. The attempt of “the largest handholding human chain” was handed in to Guinness Book of Records. On the campaign website, the competitors could upload their own photos in five steps. After uploading the photo, it was necessary to use a hand- cruiser to connect it with the photos of other competitors and subsequently share the post. The prize was an Oman Air flight ticket. 

Outcome

Over 3,400 people from 71 different nations were connected through the human chain.  The campaign was shared with more than 1.6 million fans on Facebook. The YouTube campaign videos had over 6,000 views. The international media coverage had a potential range of 68 million visits and 240,500 prints.