Our client Tallink has a constant need to fill the 22-hour cruises that operate daily. To the general audience, the cruises are a perfect getaway, offering shopping, partying, dining, visiting Tallinn and just kicking back, all in a neat package that takes less than 24 hours.
Our insight was based on the fact that the Finnish people love to nag about everything. Especially now, when the economy is less-than-perfect, the politicians break their promises and the country entered the 5 month period of darkness and cold weather, people had more reasons to complain. We decided to leverage this and turn complaints into happier people, by giving people a chance to vent and maybe be rewarded with a cruise in the process.
We sourced an old phone booth, painted it and refitted it with a phone, cameras and a printer. An operator was sitting at a remote location, making the phone ring as people entered the booth and then listening to their griefs. If the complaints were funny, touching or just simply grievous enough, the operator could print out a free ticket for the person. In other cases, the complainers were given a discount.
Every time we have set up local installations, we get feedback from the people living further away. Therefor, this time we also built a complaints banner that had a similar mechanic; people complained, a moderator read their complaints and replied with a discount or a free cruise, depending on the complaints.