Qantas launches new ‘Out of Office Travelogue’ powered by users’ travel photos via The Monkeys

Going on holiday? People can now transform their out of office auto reply email into a real-time travel journal, featuring photographs from their trip thanks to a new service from Qantas called ‘Out of Office Travelogue‘ created by The Monkeys.

Recognising that millions of bland Out Of Office emails are sent out everyday to unsuspecting colleagues and friends, Qantas’ new Out Of Office Travelogue endeavours to take the once mundane experience to a whole new level with an interesting and fun way to connect via an Instagram feed. 

Says Olivia Wirth, group executive brand, marketing and corporate affairs, Qantas: “The traditional out of office message can be both generic and impersonal in nature and from our research, sixty per cent of employees say they appreciate receiving something more creative.

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“We know that tips from friends and colleagues are the highest driver for people when choosing their next holiday destination, so we saw an opportunity to encourage travel through the millions of out of office emails being sent every day.”

The Qantas Out of Office Travelogue connects people’s email to their Instagram and updates their auto reply email with photos they select and tag with the hashtag #qantasoutofoffice. When someone emails the user while they’re travelling, they’ll receive an email showcasing the latest photos from their travels.

Instagram brand development lead, Australia and New Zealand Sophie Blachford said Qantas is innovating in the aspirational travel space and Instagram was proud to endorse the new service.

Says Blachford: “Qantas Out of Office Travelogue is a unique and clever platform for an airline because most people who are travelling will activate their out of office as their final gleeful gesture before jetting off.”

Says Justin Drape, co-founder and chief creative officer, The Monkeys: “We’re thrilled about partnering with Qantas to create and develop a new product and service. They’ve always been an innovative company, and this is just one more example of them improving an experience for their customers.”

To set it up, users simply go to qantasoutofoffice.com, connect their Instagram and email, enter a message and they’re good to go. The application pulls only the pictures tagged with #qantasoutofoffice, so users can curate which photos make up their auto reply message. The Out of Office Travelogue also works with private Instagram accounts.

The Qantas Out of Office Travelogue works on all Office 365 emails and all Gmail accounts, including other domains that use the Gmail inbox.

Client: Qantas

Content Manager: Tim Leathart