On my Tips For Travellers Blog yesterday , I wrote about the launch of the British Airways London 2012 Olympics ad from a travel perspective. But also want to look at it from a marketing and communication perspective.
The BA London 2012 as called “Home Advantage” was developed for the UK market.
Watch the video It encourages people not to fly during the Olympics, but to stay at home and support the home UK Team.
The end of line and call to action in the ad is: ‘DON’T FLY. SUPPORT TEAM GB“. And encourages the use of the Twitter hashtag#HOMEADVANTAGE
BA are the official airline partner for the London 2012 games that start in a few short weeks.
A Simple and Powerful Concept
The ad itself is a simple, but powerful, concept. People board a British Airways Boeing 777 at London Heathrow. To the soundtrack of “London Calling” by The Clash, it then taxis around the city, passing some major landmarks. Finally it arrive at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium where the passengers disembark into the stadium.The special effects in the ad are very good indeed. There are also some snippets of humour and warmth too making it watchable – even after a number of viewings.It is unusual for an airline to advertise and promote not flying, but I think this strategy and advert has some bold and brand building thinking behind it.
Via Twitter … “Wish some of these chaps would stop putting the ad. down. It’s fantastic! Excellent promotion for an excellent airline. Looking forward to my trip to LA with them later this summer”
BA all the way!
You can personalise the ad on Facebook. On Facebook put your post code in the Facebook App on the BA Facebook Page, and the advert that runs includes shots of the plane travelling down your street! This is achieved through integrating Google Streetview.
Thanks for featuring my blog and this story! Much appreciated
Will BA see a drop in flights being booked during the Olympics? No, imagine the massive influx of visitors they will be transporting. It may seem like a crazy strategy to tell people to stay at home, but in the circumstances of the Olympics I think it is one of the most successful campaigns around.
Peter,
Thanks for your comment. You are right – it’s a clever campaign.
Will Corry