Increasing distraction and egoism. We look more at screens than each other. We see, but no longer try to really understand each other. Likewise the nations of Europe who hardly understand each other at all anymore. They squabble and are drifting apart. The European dream is under threat. So SWISS, airline of neutral Switzerland whose flights connect the countries of Europe, lights a blazing beacon.

The idea: Attentive Eyes. After all, attentiveness is part of SWISS’s brand essence. Monumental buildings are illuminated in European metropolises. These famous buildings are part of Europe’s history. World-famous Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter illuminates them with outsize pairs of eyes – and millions gaze into them. They become a dazzling appeal – urging people to recall mutual attentiveness.

The result: almost 2,000 media reports all over Europe. Countless Instagram photos, posts, tweets and blog articles. Overall result: one billion unpaid media impressions – a media value of over 2 million euros. With no paid media budget, the pictures spread throughout Europe. People pause for a moment and are reminded of how important it is to really see each other. It’s a reminder of the European dream.

World-famous Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter and SWISS illuminate monumental buildings in European metropolises. Flight attendants’ eyes are projected onto the facades of famous buildings. Because eyes are a special symbol of consideration and attentiveness.

The buildings – the State Opera House in Vienna, the Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris, the Sagrat Cor Church in Barcelona, the Royal Observatory in London, the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg, and the National Museum in Milan – become both attention-grabbers and motifs.

Journalists, bloggers and Instagrammers are notified in advance. Hundreds of multipliers attend, taking photographs and filming. In the days after the illuminations, there are countless media reports, tweets, posts and blog articles in every country. They all report the SWISS campaign, explaining the idea and background. And all show fantastic pictures. Famous European buildings – lit up in a dazzling, entirely new way. Connected with each other to remind people of the European dream.

Each individual light installation evokes a breathtaking response. Pictures, videos and articles are published and shared millions of times. Simultaneously, the European idea is also shared again. Reports appear in 2,000 important European media alone, such as daily newspapers and TV stations. The picture always shows the smiling eyes, and a discreet SWISS logo. The reach is an astonishing 1 billion! This is SWISS’s most successful communication project ever. But, most importantly: millions of people in Europe have paused for a moment. They have been reminded of something important: mutual consideration and attentiveness in Europe. As an almost incidental side-effect SWISS brand value quickly rises.