The campaign marks the first Twitter race across the world. Teams of two can turn their virtual connections into a shared holiday by earning 'tweet miles’ for sending tweets containing information on a Qatar destination of their choice.
The first three teams with the highest number of tweets at the end of the race will each win a pair of business-class tickets to their chosen destination.
“The idea was simple,” said Ali Shabaz, chief creative officer at Grey Group, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. “Leverage on online global connectivity and create a fun and interactive competition for people to do what they like best—plan and take a dream vacation with a loved one.”
The registration for the race started 1 July and runs from 15 to 24 July. Netizens have to log on to Qatar Airways’ microsite for registration with their Twitter account. They then select a race companion from their list of Twitter followers to participate with and to eventually meet in person.
Once the race has begun, the pair will have to use teamwork to find travel tips on their selected destination to tweet about. Participants will be able to track their progress and see how they are faring against other teams on a leaderboard on the official microsite.
Contestants who do not make it to the top three still stand a chance to win one of five pairs of Qatar Airways economy-class tickets to their dream destination in a lucky draw.
“A good percentage of our bookings come from web channels, so we know most of our passengers are very social-media savvy,” said a Qatar Airways spokesperson.
“As a result, Qatar Airways is eager to use different types of technology to reach out to our customers. With 'Tweet-a-meet', Qatar Airways wants to provide a social-media platform that connects people wherever they are and rewards them for it.”