Theo Fanning’s Post

The British Airways ads are great. But are these brilliant ads paving over the multitude of cracks with their overall service? I love the new BA ad for three core reasons: 🙌 Bravery from client  It’s all well and good having a great ad agency come up with bold and intuitive ideas for their clients, but it takes a brave internal team client side to sign off on something like this and not pick apart the concept with offers, QR codes, logos, CTAS and Ts & Cs. 🧠 Restraint The execution is brilliant. The simplicity and restraint ensures these ads look beautiful. 🛣 Emotion and journey  Emotion is a core factor when deciding on a holiday. The photography captures the emotion perfectly and focuses on BA’s part of the story, the journey rather than the destination. Which ads a mystique to the whole piece, capturing wonder on customers’ faces BUT With the bravery and wonderful execution above the line, their online and offline service, digital experience and overall customer experience seem at massively below par with a whopping 81% of 1 star reviews on Trustpilot and massive underinvestment in digital causing huge problems for travelers. Building and maintaining a brand has to be more customer focussed every step of the journey from the initial booking to picking up your bags at the end of your flight. So, should British Airways have focussed attention more on fixing the numerous problems across their customer journey before bringing out what’s sure to be an award winning OOH campaign? #britishairways #oohadvertising #advertising #customerjourney

✨ The Secret to Successful Marketing Campaigns: Connection Over Promotion ✨ In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, where consumers are bombarded with countless ads daily, the most successful marketing campaigns are those that connect with their audience on a deeper level. It's all about resonating with an insight that speaks to the heart. A brilliant example of this is the recent British Airways campaign. The billboards featured the awed expressions of travelers, along with subtle portions of the British Airways logo. This approach is a masterclass in creating a powerful connection without overtly promoting the brand. 🛫 So, why does this approach work? 1. Emotional Resonance: Instead of screaming for attention, these billboards capture the genuine emotions of travelers experiencing the magic of flight. They tap into the universal human fascination with travel, creating an emotional connection that transcends mere branding. 2. Storytelling Over Selling: By focusing on the expressions and the joy of the journey, the campaign invites the audience to become part of the narrative. It’s a subtle reminder of the excitement and adventure of air travel, without overtly selling the airline. 3. Creating a Buzz: The subtlety of the logo and the focus on human emotion generated conversations and buzz. People were intrigued, they shared their thoughts online, and this organic word-of-mouth publicity is far more powerful than traditional advertising. 4. Trust and Authenticity: This approach demonstrates a level of trust and respect for the audience’s intelligence. It’s not about pushing a product; it’s about engaging with the audience in a meaningful way, fostering a sense of authenticity and credibility. In a world where consumers are increasingly skeptical of overt advertising, connecting to a core insight and telling a compelling story can create a lasting impact. It’s not about how loudly you can shout your brand’s name; it’s about how deeply you can connect with your audience. Check out the campaign here: #marketing #britishairways #innovativemarketing #insights

✈️ Turning Flaws Into Features: The Power of Irony in Brand Communication 😄✈️ Ryanair has always been known for its ultra-low-cost business model, where cheap tickets 🎫 take precedence over premium service. But what happens when customers expect the same standards as full-service airlines? Often, it leads to dissatisfaction with punctuality ⏰, customer service, or other areas. So how does a brand tackle this? Ryanair’s solution: Embrace the flaws with humor. 😜 By using irony, Ryanair turns what could be seen as downsides (like randomly allocated seats 🎟️) into an opportunity to differentiate themselves. This type of communication strategy resonates with their audience because it’s authentic. They know they’re not perfect and neither are their services—but that’s why the tickets are cheap 💸. Ryanair is embracing the current trend of transparent and relatable communication, showcasing their self-awareness. This approach aligns with the Challenger Brand Framework, which focuses on disruption 🚀 and acknowledging brand limitations while delivering value. By poking fun at their own shortcomings, Ryanair manages to: -Reinforce their brand promise: Cheap tickets 🎟️ in exchange for some level of inconvenience. - Create emotional engagement: Using humor 😂 to connect with their audience, building an informal but memorable brand identity. - Manage customer expectations: They set a realistic narrative that their low-cost model inevitably comes with trade-offs ⚖️. This strategy shows how turning perceived weaknesses into relatable, shareable moments can actually drive engagement 📈 and strengthen the brand identity. It's a great reminder that every challenge can be an opportunity 🚀, depending on how you approach it. #BrandManagement #MarketingStrategy #IronyInBranding #LowCostAirlines #CustomerExperience

Most trad marketers get that a social media video awareness has to be incorporated into creative output nowadays. The population that inhabits TikTok, Insta & Youtube are the consumers most willing to part with their cash. Joe CEO knows that they are 'hip' and 'just love social media videos' with all the ireverance and joking and trolling. But he doesn't quite know how to execute it. The recent Virgin & United airlines campaigns show how a brand can coopt a style, but a subtle change in approach can totally warp the brand's image. United & Virgin are partner airlines in Australia, and it seems that the United Airlines 'Good Leads the Way' campaign, which is fully shot in smartphone style with behind the scenes team stories, has influenced the local Australian campaign for Virgin. Virgin, though, have decided to take trad TV commercial production values and have actors dressed as runway staff dancing and goofing off. The result from this small change creates the impression of an airline that is staffed by a pack of clowns. Style takeaway: United = candid, happy teams, work hard/ play hard Virgin = clowns who will probably loose luggage or worse The meaning of what are essentially very similar narrative jumping-off points is completely changed by the shoot aesthetic. Having worked with Jetstar & Lufthansa out of Japan, there was a drive to make brands socially savvy from as early as 2008, but the core brand messages were always sacrosanct - a guiding light. I have to say I have no idea what the core brand proposition of Virgin is after seeing this campaign in the wild a few times. Check out both campaigns on YT by searching the campaign titles. #socialmediamarketing #travelbrands #airlinemarketing

🛫 Epiphany from the sky: Ryanair is actually a good brand 🛬 〰️ When I go to see my parents, I have to fly, and most of the time, I get on Ryanair. As a brand designer, I constantly analyse brands. Quite a few years ago, now, I wrote a blog post criticising the airline's brand. It said something like brands should be nice and honest, not make people sit in random places, etc. ✈️ But then, whenever I arrive at my parents, they always ask me, "How was the flight?" My answer is always the same: "Very good, actually; they always exceed expectations because you come disappointed from home." ✈️ My point is that if you analyse the brand from what it should be for me to like it, nicer design, better values, etc., Ryanair definitely fails. However, as a brand, it embraces its faults and makes them its strengths. It is not about luxury or happiness; it is about taking you to the place you want at the cheapest we can. And that means a cheap look and feel (possibly not that cheap) and trying to make extra money from upselling. When I fly Vueling, BA, or any other airline, I usually get disappointed because their brand sets high expectations, but the experience is not much better than Ryanair. ✈️ The lesson here is that your brand must show and align your business strategy. 〰️ I'm Narcis Sauleda – Brand designer and creative director at Narcis Studio, a one-stop shop for all your branding and creative needs. Helping businesses to articulate their strategy through their brand. 🔔 Follow me for: #entrepreneurtips #brandingstrategy #designthinking 🔁 Share with your network to support me. 🙋🏻♂️ Go to my profile to get a free brand consultancy!

When I was a young brand manager... A wise advertising agency planner said to me “your relationship with a brand can be described by one of these 3 emotions”: 😊 Brand of preference 🤔 Brand of indifference or 😶 Brand of rejection “Clearly, our aim is to make your brand the brand of preference for your target audience. This means they like it, buy it and may even come to love it.” “However, if it’s their brand of rejection it means that your brand stands for something they dislike or don’t want.” “The place we really don’t want to be is indifference, because this means there is no emotional connection with your brand – and it’s easily replaced by another in the buying process.” I recently checked in for my flight in a couple of weeks’ time. I could do this for both the outbound and return flights – so far, so good. Next the options: 👉🏼 Baggage – I’ve already paid for the bag to go in the hold, why is it asking me to book this again? Ignore. 👉🏼 Seats – price bands to choose seats. Do I have to pay for a seat allocation? And there’s a hefty charge to reserve a seat with legroom. Until I spotted a teeny, tiny little button that said, ‘I don’t mind’. Click that. And then I got a seat the system tried to charge me for… I don’t mind if people want to pay for a seat with lots of legroom. I do mind when the option to pay nothing is not displayed prominently. Because – it feels like sharp practice. Especially when the brand says one of its values is ‘always challenging cost’. So, that little journey on the website eroded my trust and took my perception of Easyjet from a brand of indifference to a brand of rejection. It’s emotional. I’ll still fly with them if there’s no other choice, yet I’ll feel resentful or even antagonistic😓 It’s very sad. Has your perception of a brand moved from the feeling of indifference to feeling this is my preferred brand – or to rejecting a brand? #easyjet #brandfeelings #brandvalues #relationships

Uncommon Creative Studio has given me a fresh perspective on how best to capture a Target Audience's emotion(s). Using part of an iconic logo which is unmissable, coupled with a set of visuals that is in some way or form an element of every one of our flying experiences. (Be it a baby peeking out of the window to watch the cotton candy clouds, A person waking up from his sleep to watch the sunset as the plane shifts course, etc.) Every airline's operator more or less picks the conventional route of showcasing the emotion that is attached to the in-flight experience. British Airways has gone ahead and said "Wait till we show you how it feels from the outside". The masters JCDecaux have strategically executed it in such a way that kindles recognition (through the Brand logo), fuelling inner Aspiration and Desire (to be able to fly again) in the process. #brand #campaign #designthinking #ooh #strategy #creativedirection #advertising #connect

Did you know that airport advertising can have a huge impact on frequent flyers? 🛫 A recent Nielsen study commissioned by Clear Channel found that 83% of frequent flyers actually notice airport ads, and 75% of them associate them with high-quality brands. Since people spend an average of an hour or more at airports, it’s a great opportunity for brands to make a connection with consumers. In fact, the same study found that almost 80% of frequent flyers are interested in trying out new products while they’re waiting for their flight, and over 60% are keen on signing up for travel rewards programmes. And here’s a fun fact: nearly half of frequent flyers would be enticed to take a branded selfie at the airport, showing there are opportunities to engage with consumers through interactive experiences! So if you’re looking for ways to boost your brand and engage with customers, airport advertising might be just the thing you need. ✈ And... as an expert in the South West and our thriving economy, I am perfectly placed to help! Inbox me 🙋♀️ or email: jodiebush@eyeairports.com #eyeairports | #bristol #exeter #airportadvertising | #oohmedia | #bristolairport #ooh

Placement of our screens is constantly evolving based on dwell time and ever-changing traveler behaviour. The likelihood of a successful airport campaign is increased when media offerings across various airport touchpoints are used synergistically. #AirportTV #AirportAds #Advertising #Digital

🔥[𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘 #𝟎𝟑]: 𝐔𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓, 𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐒 🌟𝟏. 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 Based on consumer psychology about hundreds of reasons people travel, British Airways is launching its multi-channel advertising campaign, "A British Original". 🌟𝟐. 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 - Launches its new brand positioning. - Celebrate the originality of British Airways’s customers and their people.  - Inspire passengers to plan their flights. 🌟𝟑. 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀 The campaign explores the individual and original reasons people travel, whether to reconnect with loved ones, take some time out, or immerse themselves in a different culture. Instead of a bog-standard answer, the stripped-back posters highlight witty, heartfelt reasons. 🌟𝟒. 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 The campaign is centred around the common question travellers are frequently asked when they land in a new destination: ‘What is the purpose of your visit?’ but instead of ticking the standard boxes of ‘business’ or ‘leisure’, viewers see more meaningful and relatable answers for travel, reflecting each and every one of us. Sometimes funny, sometimes moving, but always celebrating originality in all its incredibly personal guises. Showing that British Airways recognises each of its customers as individuals. The print, digital and outdoor imagery embodies a stripped back approach embracing negative space, simply showing a tick box. This series will include over 500 different and uniquely written copy lines, showing viewers an original reason for travel across every media site. In addition, messages will change depending on location, time, weather situation, and what is happening during the day to increase connectivity and interaction with the community. 🌟𝟓. 𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 The campaign includes an original approach both in creative and media, bringing to life reasons for travel in a record-breaking number of executions. Encompassing over 500 unique print, digital and outdoor executions and over 32 different short films all running over the course of a month. The campaign will be amplified across TV, video-on-demand, cinema, radio, print, display, social and out-of-home sites in London. 🌟𝟔. 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓 The campaign was awarded the Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes Lions, as well as four further awards at The Drum Out of Home Awards: - OOH: Digital - OOH: Multi-Channel Campaign - OOH: Copywriting - The Chair Award. 🌟𝟕. 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 With a unique way of deploying the message, "A British Original" has created a great buzz in the UK, attracting the attention of many people and spreading vigorously in the media. If you have any further questions, contact me at: nhphuonguyen0112@gmail.com CREDITS: Client: British Airways. Agency: Uncommon Creative Studio & MG OMD. Dora Nguyen #OOHCampaign #CaseStudy #Advertising