Other than an airfare – what do airlines actually sell? Is it a feeling, an experience or an emotion? Notice how the following airlines use the power of story to sell their brand. These examples also show how some stories are told with minimal dialogue, by letting the vision tell the story.
Qantas – Feels Like Home
Earlier this month, Qantas launched a new campaign called ‘Feels Like Home.’ The campaign is based on the theme of what Qantas has been doing for Australians for 94 years – bringing people home. The campaign is highly sentimental and shares the stories of five actual Qantas passengers and their journey home to Australia where they’re welcomed by loved ones.
Credits: Lawrence Creative Strategy
Emirates – Hello Tomorrow
In 2012, Emirates launched a global brand platform and direction – themed “Hello Tomorrow.” The campaign is about inspiring people to greet tomorrow’s unlimited potential, now. “Hello” is a greeting; an invitation to a person, a place or an experience. “Tomorrow” is a time, a place, a state of mind – the unlimited possibility of the future. The campaign follows a number of characters, using a clever technique to transition and link each character. In one minute we come full circle as the opening character finds himself on a bus with the second last character. Interestingly, we don’t see a plane at all in this ad. Further demonstrating how powerful story is in communicating a brand.
Credits: Strawberry Frog
British Airways – The Welcome of Home
It its latest campaign launched earlier this month, “The Welcome of Home,” British Airways is highlighting the millions of Indians who live in North America – far from their extended families in India. The airline created a short four-minute film that documents a Canadian woman and her family’s return to Indian to see her grandmother, and shows the emotional experiences expatriates go through. It’s a beautiful video that taps into the sentimentality of viewers – notice how similar in the style and tone this is to Qantas’ ‘Feels Like Home’ campaign.
Credits: BBH London