Southwest - #WannaGetAway

Southwest - #WannaGetAway

They say that everything old is new again and Southwest’s latest ‘throwback’ advertising campaign is making waves and getting laughs, just like it did back in 1998 when the airline’s first “Wanna get away” commercials made its debut on American TV sets.

The original TV campaign ran for about ten years and featured dozens of 30 second adverts showing everyday people who found themselves in highly embarrassing situations. At the end of the video a voice would ask “Wanna get away? Now you can,” and a low Southwest fare was displayed on the screen. They were simple, funny and effective.

Southwest’s latest #WannaGetAway clip has nearly 24,000 YouTube views and is not even “listed”. It retains the classic formula of humility, comedy and the possibility of escape via affordable airfare. Times have changed though, so this time #WannaGetAway is accompanied by a hashtag, a dedicated website and social media contest where five winners will get to experience the all-inclusive vacation of a lifetime on #WannaGetAway Island (not the island’s real name) in Belize.

To enter this contest (held in association with HomeAway.com) people just need to tweet their most embarrassing moment with #WannaGetAway and #Contest by the 6th of October.

Southwest apparently dusted off its old rolodex when planning this campaign, bringing back many of the creative minds and partners involved in the first volume of ads. This write-up by AdWeek.com reveals the campaign also has a CBS Sports tie-in, with the network highlighting “Wanna Get Away Football Moments” from fans during the NFL season.