Fly the Branded Skies

 

Airline: Southwest Airlines

These are posts from Fly the Branded Skies about Southwest Airlines.

ICAO Code: SWA

Southwest Airlines Wings
Southwest Airlines Wings
Southwest Airlines Wings
Southwest Airlines Wings
Southwest Airlines Wings
Southwest Airlines Wings
Southwest Airlines Wings

Flyby Wire:  June 16th, 2013

Welcome to the fifth issue of The Work This Week, a weekly roundup of new advertising, identity, and brand experience work from around the airline industry. This week, new campaigns from South Africa and Australia, a new look for Air New Zealand, and a new reason to cross the Thames.
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Jingle: Singapore: “Singapore Girl Theme” (1973)


Listen: Singapore Airlines: “Singapore Girl Theme”

This must be the longest-running campaign in the airline category. Indeed, it may be one of the longest-running campaigns in advertising, period. The Singapore Girl campaign is now more than 40 years old. Think of it this way: the first Singapore Girls are now in their 60s.
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Jingle: Southwest Airlines “Just Say When” (1985)

Fly Southwest - Just Say When

Listen: Southwest Airlines: “Just Say When”

One of the most appealing attributes of Southwest’s brand is its self-awareness. At a time when other airlines were depicting air travel as a luxurious experience, Southwest made promises it could deliver. It just so happened that what Southwest could deliver was what a lot of passengers really wanted anyway: frequent, convenient flights. This post is about the time when Southwest grew up.

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The list of finalists in the Southwest Airlines review is down to four, according to Adweek: Arnold, Boston; TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles; Leo Burnett in Chicago; and Deutsch in Los Angeles. A selection could come as soon as next week. No matter what happens, GSD&M will continue to hold a piece of the account—but it is telling that they are not finalists in this pitch, even though they were invited to participate.

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I love it when advertisers take the gloves off: Southwest and Delta are “duking it out” in Atlanta. This ought to be interesting…

US Airlines? American Airways? Deltmerican?

The smart money says American Airlines will merge with another airline before it emerges from bankruptcy protection. Right now, US Airways seems like the most likely suitor, but Delta is reportedly also considering its options.

Of course, one of the main issues in any merger is what the combined company will be called. As with everything in the airline business, egos get involved. Often the merged carrier takes on the name of the party in the strongest financial position—but not always. US Airways was technically acquired by America West Airlines in 2005, but the combined carrier kept the US Airways name anyway.

And so I open the floor to rampant speculation: will the name “American Airlines” survive a merger? Or is its 78-year history near its end? Some of the merger match-ups after the jump are plausible. Some are patently ridiculous. But when it comes to naming, they all raise interesting questions.

Vote in the polls below, then explain your reasoning in the comments!

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Jingle: “You’re Gonna Luv that Southwest Spirit” (1982)

You're gonna love our Southwest Spirit

Listen: Southwest Airlines: “You're Gonna Luv That Southwest Spirit”

GSD&M has been Southwest Airlines’ advertising agency for more than thirty years. The exclusivity of that relationship is currently in question, with at least eight agencies now vying for a major assignment from the carrier. As Southwest reviews its account, it seems like a good time to review some of the earliest work.

This jingle comes from GSD&M’s first major campaign for Southwest in 1982.

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The pitch for the Southwest Airlines fall campaign may have wide-ranging implications for its relationship with GSD&M, according to a story published in Adweek. According to the RFP, Southwest is looking for “thought leadership in refining its brand positioning and to develop an associated campaign for a national fall 2012 campaign.” Although GSD&M won’t lose the Southwest business, it does seem as though whichever agency wins the review will be taking the strategic lead.

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As expected, there were no national airline commercials in the Super Bowl this year, but there were some local buys. Based on Twitter traffic, it seems Southwest ran an ad in Atlanta touting its new service to Hartsfield. And jetBlue showed this ad in the Boston market:

Jingle: Southwest “Lone Star Anthem” (1990)

Southwest Airlines

Listen: Southwest Airlines: “Lone Star Anthem”

I lived in Texas for two years. It’s a cliché now, but it really is a whole other country. And even now, with a route network that spans the U.S., Southwest Airlines is still that whole other country’s flag carrier.

Southwest started flying in 1971, serving only cities in Texas to avoid federal regulation and the Civil Aeronautics Board. For its 20th anniversary, the airline decided to show its appreciation to its home state by painting one of its 737s with a Texas flag and naming it “Lone Star One.”

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