benchmark report
airline marketing
tv, print, ooh
four weddings SOUTHWEST
For four decades Southwest was synonymous with out-of-the-box TV spots, and although the airline got a little more buttoned down following its recent rebrand (featured in last month’s report), Southwest latest TV spot, titled Wedding , is again creating a smile on viewer’s faces. The 30-second ad touts Southwest Airlines as the perfect partner for the wedding season. While it may seem like odd timing (with the current wedding season just ending), invitations are likely making their way out now, and people like the woman in the ad may be wondering how they’re going to make it to several different weddings without going broke. The humorous spot introduces viewers to a wedding-goer and dancer par excellence who somehow becomes the center of attention in
NOVEMBER 2014 ISSUE
quick succession at no fewer than four very different wedding receptions, before finally resting on a Southwest flight. “Everyone deserves 73 dollar fares,” says a voiceover, “because wedding season can get expensive.” The pleasure in the spot comes not only from watching the lady’s dance moves, but from the many little details that have gone into the composition of each scene. Certainly the best of the four receptions is the one where the woman is dancing with a very young partner. The TV spot is the first of three more that will roll out later in the month and is accompanied by a print campaign, which features productfocused messages promoting Southwest’s ‘Bags Fly Free’ and ‘free in-flight TV’ amenities.
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EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL DIGITAL TV, PRINT, OOH
