Millions of out of office auto replies are sent out every day, most of them providing the least amount of information in the blandest way possible.

They do the basic job, nothing more nothing less. The Monkeys thought the out of office email could do a lot more. And do it for client, Qantas.

So the agency created the Qantas Out of Office Travelogue. It connects your email to your Instagram and updates your auto reply email with photos you select and tag with the hashtag #qantasoutofoffice. When someone emails you while you’re travelling, they’ll receive an email showing off the latest photos from your travels.

“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,” noted Olivia Wirth, Qantas group executive brand, marketing & corporate affairs.

“The traditional out of office message can be both generic and impersonal in nature and from our research, 60% of employees say they appreciate receiving something more creative,” she added.

“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,” Instagram brand development lead, Australia and New Zealand, Sophie Blachford, commented.

To set it up, users go to qantasoutofoffice.com, connect their Instagram and email, and enter a message. 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 works with private Instagram accounts and works on all Office 365 emails and all Gmail accounts, including other domains that use the Gmail inbox.

“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,” stated Justin Drape, co-founder and chief creative officer at The Monkeys.

Credits: 

Agency: The Monkeys
Co-founder and chief creative officer: Justin Drape
Senior creative: Scott Dettrick
Interactive creative director: Morten Halvorsen
Copywriters: Chelsea Parks & Hugh Gurney
Interactive planning director: Grant Flannery
Planning director: Michael Hogg

Digital design lead: Eva Godeny
Digital designer: Lauren Elliott
Interactive executive producer: Sabrina Riedel
Senior digital producer: Alastair Reilly
Senior producer: Penny Brown
Technical director: Toby Vervaart
Technical lead: Peter Vahaviolos
Front end developer: Lachlan Tweedie
Content director: Samantha Heckendorf
Content manager: Tim Leathart

Client: Qantas
Group executive, brand, marketing & corporate affairs: Olivia Wirth
Digital communications manager: Clarabella Burley
Digital adviser: John Harding-Easson