Flyby Wire: July 28th, 2013
Welcome to the eleventh issue of The Work This Week, a weekly roundup of new advertising, identity, and brand experience work from around the airline industry. This week, airline social feeds light up with news of the royal birth, Lufthansa dupes customers into eating airline food, and the airline Web site of tomorrow is here… today!
Design
- Boeing rolled out the first 787-9 — and it’s also the first 787 to bear the airframer’s new house livery. The new design features the model number more prominently to help distinguish it from others in the same product family. Source: Airline Reporter.
Digital
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Design firm Fi has released a mockup of what it calls the “airline Web site of the future.” Source: Design Taxi.
- British Airways launched “Picture Your Holiday,” a Pinterest-like way to generate vacation ideas. The campaign includes a digital out-of-home component in shopping malls. Agency: BBH, London and Monterosa, Stockholm. Source: Creativity Online.
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Airlines took full advantage of the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis with special promotions and social content.
- Virgin Atlantic offered a pass to its Clubhouse for the “third in line” on each flight (the third to check in.)
- British Airways welcomed the baby with a picture of a toy plane.
- Berlin-based Germania sent the baby an actual toy plane.
- South African Airways offered congratulations with a distinctly African twist.
- Air New Zealand congratulated the new parents, but claimed that “travel by stork is so last year.”
- Southwest Airlines used the imminent royal birth to push its live television from Dish.
- Delta Air Lines predicted the new prince would become a passenger one day. (Several followers on Twitter expressed their skepticism.)
- Ryanair (or “Ryan-Heir“) waived fees for infants traveling the day of the royal birth.
- Monarch Airlines offered free flights to anyone who gave birth the same day.
- Spirit Airlines launched a predictably tasteless promotion based on the royal baby, then launched an even worse one related to Anthony Weiner. Keep it classy, Spirit.
- And the Pan-Arabia Enquirer was first to break the news on the royal baby’s name: thanks to a sponsorship deal, he’ll be named Qatar Airways Windsor.
Experiential
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Lufthansa served its new business class meals to unsuspecting diners at a Frankfurt restaurant. Agency: Kolle Rebbe, Hamburg.
- Delta Air Lines is partnering with Food & Wine magazine for “Cabin Pressure Cook-Off,” a contest whose winner will become a chef on Delta’s culinary team. Source: New York Times.
Tips?
If you have any tips, e-mail me or tweet them at @brandedskies. See you next week!
Image credits: Fi, British Airways