Anatomy of an Ad #3: British Airways.

Oct 26 2008

Posted by: admin in advertising, marketing

Fly a lot? I used to, in the pre-9/11 world. I don’t any more. It’s a combination of a change in needs, and the royal pain in the Alice B. Tookas that flying has become. I can’t imagine it being more of a hassle unless they were to implement a mandatory strip/body cavity search. (And I hope I’m not putting THAT out in the universe.) So I certainly sympathize with marketers who are charged with trying to convince us (or con us, depending on your level of cynicism) that it’s fun to fly.

I know better.

Now along comes a bizarre commercial from British Airways. I wish I could have found the spot online, to show you just how truly existential it is. [Q: how many existentialists does it take to change a light bulb? A: a duck.]

The spot shows an airport terminal that has apparently been converted into a giant aquarium, complete with whales and sea turtles.

While I love aquariums as much as the next guy, I fail to see how this correlates to a strategic advantage for – or adds to the allure of – flying with British Airways. What’s the deal? If I fly B.A., I’ll get wet? If I fly B.A. over water, I’d best bring my scuba gear? If I fly B.A., I’ll feel like I’m swimming in the ocean? I don’t get it.

I’m wondering, too, not only what in the Sam Hill this ad means, but who would greenlight it. I mean, what kind of CEO can take this ad campaign before their board of directors with a straight face? “Um, righty-o, chaps, we’re trying a bit of something new this month on the telly. We’ve decided to go after the aquarium lovers, for our research shows that they are under-served in the air.” Sure.

So color me confused on this one. Nice graphics. Great CGI. But the message? Completely opaque.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 26th, 2008 at 11:12 pm and is filed under advertising, marketing.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

frances

Totally on the mark – I just googled the ad because I thought I was missing something, or thought I would find commentary like yours. Completely random.
Shaw

IMHO the ad was great. You've got Julie London singing about “The Good Life,” you've got visually appealing images and marine life greeting and saying goodbye to each other before parting company, and all in all, it comes off as a classically, luxurious airline, with a beautiful terminal. If you don't look so hard for the marketing message and just enjoy the commercial, you pick up on more little details each time you see it.

British Airways had this to say about about the commercial: “The creation of Terminal 5 has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to redefine air travel. Our aim was to replace the queues, the crowds and the stress with space, light and calm.”

Not sure if they've been successful, but the commercial makes me want to book a flight and find out.
Shaw

IMHO the ad was great. You've got Julie London singing about “The Good Life,” you've got visually appealing images and marine life greeting and saying goodbye to each other before parting company, and all in all, it comes off as a classically, luxurious airline, with a beautiful terminal. If you don't look so hard for the marketing message and just enjoy the commercial, you pick up on more little details each time you see it.

British Airways had this to say about about the commercial: “The creation of Terminal 5 has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to redefine air travel. Our aim was to replace the queues, the crowds and the stress with space, light and calm.”

Not sure if they've been successful, but the commercial makes me want to book a flight and find out.