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'Let Loose the Goose': Klook Launches Viral AI-Powered Travel Campaign

'Let Loose the Goose': Klook Launches Viral AI-Powered Travel Campaign

Skift6 hours ago

Klook's goose might not have wings, but the idea behind it clearly does.
Travel experiences platform Klook has launched a campaign in Hong Kong that's anything but conventional. There's no celebrity endorsement, no picture-perfect lifestyle visuals, and no curated itineraries. Instead, 'Go Wild with Travel" features a goose and some AI.
The campaign launched this week with a fake out-of-home stunt that showed the goose soaring across iconic global landmarks. The image quickly caught attention online, turning the character into a viral phenomenon.
As Klook explained, 'This 'creature' became the talk of the town, setting the stage for our Hong Kong team's summer campaign reveal, featuring transportation, tours, experiences, and hotel offerings.'
For Klook, this wasn't just a quirky marketing tactic. According to Kenny Sham, general manager for Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand, the campaign's use of AI was central to its storytelling strategy.
As Sham puts it, the campaign 'reframes travel as a spontaneous, joyful escape — inviting everyone to follow instinct, not plans.'
'We brought a goose to life and let it travel the world,' said Duffy Lau, managing director at Grey Hong Kong, the creative agency that worked with Klook. 'The entire campaign was crafted using AI to unlock creative possibilities, transforming a simple idea into something people can spot, share, and smile at.'
'Let Loose the Goose'
Without the need for big budgets or traditional production teams, AI enabled the creation of a surreal character that could exist in multiple formats and locations. In a social media post, Klook summed it up this way: 'AI lets us produce diverse, playful content at scale. It's fast, flexible, and sometimes, to go further, you just have to let loose the goose!'
The goose became a perfect symbol for that mindset. In Cantonese, the word for 'goose' sounds like 'I,' allowing it to serve as both a playful character and a personal metaphor. In Klook's words: 'It's our playful call to travelers: be bold, break free (because life is more than just a 9-to-5 routine, right?)'
The concept isn't entirely without precedent. Two years ago, Dubai-based airline Emirates also introduced a computer-generated goose, 'Gerry,' as its brand ambassador.
But Klook's campaign takes the idea further, leaning into the goose not just as a mascot, but as a metaphor. That spirit of freedom aligns with Klook's broader offering, which spans three categories: Play, Stay, and Move.
'Play' includes over 500,000 bookable activities and experiences. 'Stay' bundles accommodation with travel, while 'Move' offers train and mobility passes across destinations like Japan and Europe. The goal is to give travelers the tools to explore freely — without having every detail locked in.
Building on the momentum of last year's campaign and the global initiative 'The Best You,' this new direction marks a shift in tone and territory. As Sham put it, 'From breaking out of routines to rediscovering local adventures, the campaign captures how travel can reconnect us with who we really are.'
The campaign will continue to roll out throughout the summer, led, of course, by one very curious goose.
Earlier this year, Klook secured $100 million in funding.
Klook CCO Wilfred Fan at the Skift Asia Forum

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