Air Canada - #FlyTheFlag and New Livery Unveiling

Air Canada - #FlyTheFlag and New Livery Unveiling

February was a colossal month for Canada’s flagship airline. Not only did they unveil an all-new livery look in three separate events in different major Canadian cities, but they also revealed updated uniforms for cabin and ground crew and began talking a lot about the past, the future, and national pride in celebration of their own 80th birthday this year and Canada’s 150th birthday this summer.

Broadly, all this activity is connected to the hashtag and patriotic sentiment of #FlyTheFlag, which refers to how the airline takes pride in being an ambassador of Canada, connecting its people and ideas to the rest of the world.

Activity around #FlyTheFlag began in February with social media teaser posts showing partial images of the new livery.

The frequency and amount of information shared in these posts gradually increased through the month until reveal happened on February 9th with simultaneous events in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Each event was well attended by local, national and international press, bloggers and media personalities.

The new uniforms, which complement the new livery, are sleek and well-cut – looking much more contemporary and business-like than the incumbent – with black and charcoal grey base colours set off by red accents.

The livery itself is incredibly sharp. It’s described in an airline press release as a “bold black and white design that highlights its iconic red maple leaf encircled ensign … Reflecting Canada’s vastness and contrasting seasons, with references to its wildlife and First Nations heritage.”

With this new livery (which will take three years to grace entire fleet of 300 aircraft), Air Canada also brings back the vintage the “rondelle” (French for hockey puck) logo of a red Maple leaf in a circle.

To keep the new liveries a secret until the reveal, Air Canada flew the first three painted planes to the launch parties under cover of darkness and covered parts of them with removable decals, so that eager plane-spotters wouldn’t snap photos and ruin the surprise.

Air Canada has created a special webpage dedicated to the rebranding effort and also made several videos, including a time lapse of the paint shop work which was watched more than 170,000 times in a week, and the nostalgic Achieving New Heights (20,000 views in one week) for YouTube.

Key Take-Away

Don’t underestimate the marketing power of the humble AV Geek! If you’re getting ready to unveil a new paint job or plane, think about who may be watching.

They could ruin the surprise or they could be an ally, helping you capture amazing images and enhancing the social media buzz of your event. Websites like planespotters.net for insights into this world and to find contacts. One example of an influencer in this space is Laird Kay a Toronto native, artist and plane-spotter who has worked with a number of airlines.