2 Responses to “From Upside Down to Down Under”

1. ernst says:

   June 1, 2009 at 7:32 am

   Is this a trick question?

   OK — I think it is very CREATIVE. Naked, painted bodies…nothing to hide. Titillating, so to speak.

   But creative does not equal good. The advertisement could be creatively stupid and, possibly, harmful to the brand.

   I think one first needs to understand the brand before one comments on an individual advertisement. What makes Air New Zealand a compelling and differentiated choice and does the advertisement support the brand positioning or, possibly, does the advertisement undermine it?

   I took a quick peak at Air New Zealands website for clues. Unfortunately, “Gotta Go” appears to be the closest thing they have to a slogan. Frank, you referred to a slogan as being derived from the Gaelic term “battle cry.” Perhaps they need a new one.

   To search for more clues, I visited the company info. and found the following vision statement: “We will strive to be number one in every market we serve by creating a workplace where teams are committed to our customers in a distinctively New Zealand way, resulting in superior industry returns.” Mmm. Now that’s inspiring.

   Perhaps someone who is more familiar with the airline can enlighten me as to what Air New Zealand’s focus is. Low Price? Serving customers in a distinctively New Zealand way (and what is that)?

   Unfortunately, I can’t answer the question just yet.
2. Justin says:

   January 5, 2010 at 8:39 pm

   This ad is almost brilliant.

   It is great because it takes a basic service principle (”no hidden fees”) and presents it in a way that is fun, hip and sexy, and really brings to life what would otherwise be a “boring” promise that I’ve heard before. A lot of airlines are pushing this these days, but the people responsible for this ad figured out the best way to do it. It was a great idea.

   I think what keeps it from being brilliant is in the application of the idea. It should focus a little bit more on the up-front pricing and cut about 5 seconds worth of the naked employees.