Advertising Is Good For You

This is why airlines rarely advertise their safety records

Well, actually, this is.

Found at Bits & Pieces.

The Air Striptease from Braniff

A friend reminded me of this outrageously sexist TV commercial for Braniff Airlines. It was part of an otherwise brilliant strategy conceived by Mary Wells Lawrence in the mid-1960s.

First, she got Braniff to paint each of its planes a bright color. Then she hired clothing designer Emilio Pucci to create a wardrobe of uniforms for the Braniff "air hostesses," including bikinis that, I'm assuming, the women never wore while on duty.

This spot introduces the flight attendant's new uniforms -- in the form of a strip tease. Just watch. CLICK here to see Braniff's famous Air Strip commercial.

Ryanair turns flight attendants back into stewardesses

Irish airline Ryanair is putting out a cheesecake calendar featuring some of its female flight attendants. The men officials at Ryanair think the calendar is perfectly acceptable because the it's being sold to benefit charity. What do you think? Here's Miss April to help you decide.

Of course, there was a time when flight attendants didn't wear much more while on the job, as seen in this photo of Southwest Airlines flight attendants a few decades ago.

To see the rest of the Ryanair calendar images, click here.

Vintage image source: Found in Mom's Basement

Sure, it's fun... 'Till somebody gets hurt.

Advertising on airplane fuselages always looks fun. For example...

Trouble is, if the unthinkable happens, all you can do is rush to the crash site with a can of paint, as China Airlines did after one of its planes crashed this summer.

Before China Airlines arrived with paint and brushes to obscure its logo...

After the whitewash, as it were...

 

SkyEurope Airlines' advertising included the image of a supermodel on its planes.

Source: eGlobe1, MSN News 

One-upmanship in airline billboards

Three Indian airlines -- Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Go Airlines -- tired to outdo each other in their outdoor advertising campaigns.

It all started when Jet Airlines put up this billboard...

Kingfisher Airlines saw an opportunity and grabbed it...

Soon, Go Airlines got in on the action...

I hope they show this much competitive spirit when it comes to their service to air travelers.

Source: Chill Nite

In honor of Earth Day, a little 'organic' advertising.

A while back, I posted about rooftop advertising. This is even better. Artfield is a German company that creates crop field graphics (think UFOs and aliens) for advertisers. Take a look...

Porter Airlines' raccoons rock!

These days, it's so easy to hate airlines. They often lose your luggage. Sometimes leave you stranded on the tarmac for eight hours.  And never give straight answers when things go awry. 

Which is why Porter Airlines' raccoons are such a stroke of genius.

Look at them. A company with that kind of sense of humor couldn't possibly screw you over.

Source: Notcot

Delta Airlines doesn't understand the concept of good customer service.

Delta Airlines refuses to give Charles M. a refund.

Charles M. had his camera stolen from his baggage by a Delta baggage checker. Charles himself tracked down his stolen camera on eBay and got the thieving baggage checker fired, arrested and prosecuted.

The man is a hero.

Delta Airlines, instead of rewarding Charles M. for uncovering an unscrupulous employee, refuses to give Charles a refund for his plane fare with the excuse:

We must respectfully deny your request for a full refund of your trip since travel did commence.

If this is how Delta treats its customers -- especially in the age of blogs and chat rooms -- the airline deserves to go bankrupt.

 

Update: posted 17 March 2007

Consumerist reports that after being trashed on the Internet and on the PeterGreenberg radio show, Delta Airlines is FINALLY reimbursing Charles M. for the cost of his camera.

Source: The Consumerist

Yet another new advertising medium: airport security bins.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) seems to be the only U.S. government agency that knows how to make money rather than blow through it.

The TSA is turning those plastic bins at security checkpoints into a new advertising medium. Plus, they're requiring any company that sells the ads to stock the airports with new bins, carts and stainless steel tables.

According to Mark Lieberman, co-CEO of Interspace Airport Advertising, bin ads could be sold at a large airport for
US $250,000 - $500,000 a year.

All of this got me to wondering what types of products and services would be best served by advertising in security bins. Here are a few ideas...

Dramamine

Gold Toe socks 

Odor-Eaters Foot & Sneaker Spray

Samsonite Raincoat in a Pouch

Sansabelt slacks

Tamron man purse/gadget bag 

Bass Weejuns

Greyhound Bus Line

 

Any other ideas?

Source: USAToday.com

New Media: Fiat takes great advantage of a plane's window

Having already sold advertising space on air sickness bags, airlines are now selling space on plane windows.

It's difficult to imagine a better use of an airplane's window and shade than this brand awareness effort on behalf of the sunroofed Fiat Sky-Dome.

Source

Southwest Airlines Has Been Profitable for 33 Straight Years, The Reasons Are Obvious, Yet Very Few Companies Think to Do Business the Same Way

The Consumerist posts the account of a Southwest Airlines ticket holder whose departing flight was delayed four and a half hours, while her return flight was a half hour delayed.

When she got home, she found in her mailbox a voucher from Southwest Airlines for $200 (her original round trip ticket cost only $100) along with a letter explaining the flight delay.

I fly Southwest Airlines between Manchester, NH and Chicago's Midway at least a couple of times a year. I can vouch for the airline's extraordinary service. It's based on friendliness, civility and respect for its customers.

That's it, folks. Good customer service. That's the big secret to turning a profit for 33 straight years while your competitors are fighting off bankruptcy.

You'll find the importance of customer service written about in every marketing textbook, lectured about in every MBA program, and referred to in countless advertising campaigns.

So why don't more companies practice good customer service?

Stat source: Hoovers 

Pretty Women Have Been Used to Advertise Airlines for Years -- Some More Acceptably Than Others

To advertise its 5th anniversary, SkyEurope Airlines -- which bills itself as Central Europe's leading low cost airline -- is giving away 250,000 airline tickets. As part of the promotion, SkyEurope has put Slovakian model Adriana Sklenarikova-Karembeu's image on some of its jets.

This rather innocuous promotion reminds me of another airline promotion that used attractive women to sell plane tickets. In the early 1970s, National Airlines ran a controversial advertising campaign that featured attractive female flight attendants ('stewardesses' in those days) saying, "I'm Cheryl. Fly me." "I'm Joyce. Fly me." And so on.

Not surprisingly, the campaign was denounced by feminist groups who coined their own phrase for the ad campaign's creator F. William Free: I'm Bill. Fire me.

Now You’re Going to Think I’m Just Making Stuff Up

Yesterday was about lasering advertising messages on eggs. Today I bring you a whole new media category.

According to the Miami Herald, US Airlines is going to sell advertising space on its air sickness bags.

Apparently, the airline already features paid advertising on its napkins, ticket jackets, tray tables, and onboard videos.

But barf bags?

Who besides Dramamine is going to want to promote their product to folks WHILE they're suffering from motion sickness?

Addendum

I had no idea there were so many air sickness bag collectors until I started looking for an image for this article. The search was an eyeful – and, in one case, an earful.

Image: Ur I. T Mate Group