[VintageKrug]

I think we can agree that there is a potential risk of not living up to the hype.

But I think BA have nailed that danger with a £500m [oops, got that wrong – it’s £5bn!!] investment over the next 5 years and specific improvements in the soft product announced to co-incide with this campaign.

The print ads are also rather impressive, though 9MB each so don’t download on 3G:

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/Journals/2011/09/20/BA-advert—baby.pdf

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/Journals/2011/09/20/BA-advert—engineering.pdf

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/Journals/2011/09/20/BA-advert—heart.pdf

[LeTigre]

Great ad, though for some reason the contemporary piano-centric music reminds me of Downton Abbey! Perhaps an appearance of dear old Maggie is on the cards for the next one…

[Henkel.Trocken]

Excellent ad, well thought through but I suppose the question is can they deliver and of course they jury should be out on that one.

A colleague has just commented that they’ve spent a lot of money advertising that their best days are behind them!

[VintageKrug]

We can but hope for an appearance by Maggie:

http://doitanyway.co.uk/files/2011/08/thatcher-tail-fins.jpg

I don’t think this ad suggests BA’s best days are behind them; aligned with a nod towards the excellence of the past is a clear announcement about a step-change in product, with £5bn investment in product and service over the next half decade.

I think this draws a line under recent woes, and positions the brand on a firm footing as a foundation for improvements which will recapture the excellence of the past, while building on BA’s many accomplishments, achieved despite a plethora of challenges which would have sunk a weaker business .

It’s time to celebrate and be proud of the national carrier, and this ad achieves that with considerable aplomb. I am confident Frank van der Post has what it takes (both financially and in business acumen) to deliver the substance to back up this revitalised positioning.

[LPPSKrisflyer]

Surely the time to celebrate and be proud is once BA deliver rather than because they have launched a new ad campaign and promised some investment. Let’s see how the investment weathers the next hike in oil prices or staff dispute.

[Alasdair]

I am disappointed in the campaign from what I have seen. BA used to be such an innovator in marketing and publicity, but this is rather bland.

To focus so heavily on its drivers and not feature in any form what makes BA unique and special amongst its competitors (its Front Line staff) is not good enough. Most airlines deliver a journey from A to B, however, it’s the service and soft/hard product that makes me return to that airline.

[VintageKrug]

I think this one emphasises the “To Fly” aspect, hence the focus on pilots, who are increasingly visible as part of the Front Line team aboard BA flights as part of recent changes.

There may well be future filmed “episodes” which focus on the “To Serve” elements.

I like the understated elegance of it, which some could describe as “bland” – it’s so much more refined than the (enjoyable but somewhat “outré “) Virgin campaign, for instance.

It would have been difficult for BA to focus on cabin crew in this first “positioning” piece, given recent events. People would just have laughed.

The print campaign (linked earlier) does, however, focus on the many skills of BA’s cabin crew, engineers and logistics managers.

The unique and special USP of British Airways is a heritage few airlines can match. This film exemplifies that perfectly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4JdQi60an0

[LuganoPirate]

Brilliant Ad. Left me wanting to see more and in a fit of nostalgia I’ve just booked my next trip to NY with BA instead of my usual Swiss!

Their ad brings out what flying is about. It’s exciting and you don”t have to think about what the message is. It’s obvious.

[Binman62]

I would agree that this is not the time to start talking about being proud of an airline. It may be appropriate for staff to be proud to work for that airline and perhaps by being so they might deliver the service element that will back the “to fly” bit.
We are British after all and such jingoistic flag waving is simply not us….unless it is Last Night of the Proms.
In any event I would find it hard to be proud of any business that has handed out the service it has recently and yet still manages to charge £5 per passenger just to use their own branded credit card on a single booking.
The ad is brilliant and hopefully signals a see change in performance but that change is long overdue and desperately needed.

Cute and cuddly posters highlighting the delivery of 3 babies in 20 years are all well and good. What I want and I suspect many others, is the delivery of 14 decent First Class Meals, 70 Club World wash bags and an operational IFE day in day out. That feat currently seems to be beyond them.

[RichHI1]

I totally agree it knocks the spots of the Virgin campaign. Why is the Ice Cream girl drowning?

[VintageKrug]

I especially like the “extra” video which explains the backstory to “To Fly. To Serve”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_G4MV_DG2Q&feature=player_embedded

[VintageKrug]

Couture Millinery 😉

[Scandinavian]

Beautifully put together advert.

Nostalgia? Yes lots of it. Especially for people who like airlines and aviation (e.g. this forum)

Will it make me fly BA more often? Probably not.

On a whole it might have some positive impact on BA’s brand but will it drive revenue? Hard to say but in my view probably not. On it’s own the advert doesn’t give me any reason to fly BA other than that they have lots of pilots and heritage, which I already knew.

The “to fly, to serve” logo at the end is beautiful but once again it is hard to see it having any impact outside the UK and maybe the US. BA is not the world’s most respected international carrier as it was 20 years ago. On mainland Europe BA is rather irrelevant for global travel with the exception of to the US. Lufthansa (more and more), plus certain Asian and Middle Eastern carriers are generally held in as high regard as BA nowadays, if not even more so! And BA is not alone in having a long heritage. KLM, Finnair and Qantas have been flying longer!

[NewBAexec]

I have to agree with some of the comments posted on here. This advert is more like a pilot recruitment campaign which would do very well for their current pilot recruitment. You can see clearly it is all about the flying – To Fly.

What about the front line staff – The Cabin Crew and Customer Service Agents? – To Serve

When I fly I see Cabin Crew and not Pilots. So for me to choose an airline, I would want to see the Cabin Crew providing an excellent service and the products the airline is offering.

Why not make an advert similar to the recent First Class advert?! Or why not just broadcast the First advert and create one for each cabin?!

I am a bit disappointed, and no this will not make me want to fly BA more!

[VintageKrug]

This is the first in a series. The “To Serve” element is, apparently, a further instalment.

This is about building a brand, not detailing product specs. I think it achieves its objectives beautifully.

[Author]

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