“Don’t open it,” say Jetstar and Thinkerbell

Jetstar and Thinkerbell Aotearoa dared Kiwis to do exactly what they were told not to in a new activation.

To launch their Reverse Psychology Sale, Jetstar installed a luggage carousel in Auckland’s Britomart on a Thursday morning with one instruction: “Do not open the orange suitcase”.

Circulating slowly, naturally, people couldn’t resist to open it.

Curious passersby who cracked the orange suitcase open were instantly rewarded with Jetstar flight vouchers, proving that if you want Kiwis to do something, try telling them not to. 

Nothing to read here

The social experiment kicked off a broader initiative to challenge outdated brand perceptions and invite Kiwis to take another look at Jetstar.

From “Do not scan the QR code” posters to teaser posts warning “Nothing to see here”, the campaign tapped into New Zealanders’ instinct to resist being told what to do – and turned it into an invitation to travel.

Regan Grafton, chief tinker at Thinkerbell, says, “We absolutely did not want this idea to get noticed. We definitely didn’t want anyone opening that suitcase or talking about it. And we especially didn’t want people to reconsider how they think about Jetstar.

“But of course, they did, because that’s how reverse psychology works. We designed a nudge, dressed it in curiosity and let human nature take care of the rest.

“You’re probably not interested in this bit either, but the whole thing was a bit of psychological magic called reactance: tell people not to do something, and suddenly they want to take back control – proving that sometimes the best way to get noticed is to act like you don’t want to be,” Grafton adds.

The Reverse Psychology Sale rolled out across earned and paid media, social, influencer, OOH and activation.