British Airways launches a new advertising campaign

After one of the worst years in aviation history, British Airways has launched a new advertising campaign, putting its people and customers at the centre of the story about its return to the skies.

“You make us fly”, which is the first TV advert since “A love letter to Britain” to mark the airline’s centenary in 2019, was shared first with its colleagues and then on the airline’s social media channels. The 60 second ad will air for the first time on TV on Friday, May 7 around Gogglebox, followed by Premier League football matches and F1 being shown live on Sky Sports over the weekend.

 

The campaign features the airline’s own people, all of whom volunteered to feature in the advert that has been designed to have an uplifting feeling and remind customers that they are at the heart of British Airways. The ad showcases the airline’s staff proudly making their way back to work with a very British sense of urgency, to do what they love most, caring for customers.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “There is a sense of huge anticipation from colleagues across the airline who are preparing to return to work after a very difficult year. The story illustrates the pride that our people tell me they’re feeling at the thought of seeing our planes in the sky once again and having the opportunity to welcome and serve our customers, to reunite them with their friends and relatives. The excitement is palpable.”

Helen Wetton, British Airways’ 777 Captain and the first colleague to feature in the advert, said: “I am tremendously proud to have been involved in creating this advert with British Airways. I played my own role as a female Captain who springs out of bed and races to get to work. I am so excited to get back to doing what I love and flying our customers around the world again when the time is right.”

Jules Chalkley, Ogilvy UK’s Chief Executive Creative Director said: “The creative platform was inspired by the very people who make British Airways a world-class brand; the pilots, the cabin crew, the engineers, the ground team – everyone.

Our creative tell the world: ‘You Make Us Fly’. When you talk to the British Airways team, this love for their passengers is their first thought, the reason they get out of bed in the morning. The whole platform is a celebration of that passion as we see British Airways colleagues getting back to doing what they do best and the thing they love so much; looking after people. It also brings a surge of excitement and sense of possibility on the cusp of a hugely important time for us all.”

The music that plays throughout the advert is Flower Duet from Delibes’ opera Lakme, which first featured in British Airways’ advertising over 40 years ago and is still proudly used as the airline’s boarding music.

A behind-the-scenes video of the advert being filmed featuring interviews with the airline’s staff can also be viewed here.

 

British Airways has introduced a number of measures at the airport and onboard to look after the safety and wellbeing of its customers and crew. These include social distancing measures, the wearing of face masks, and hand sanitiser stations. Prior to travel customers will also receive details of how they can prepare for their next flight.

The airline is cleaning all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day. The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.

Customers booking with British Airways can do so with absolute confidence, thanks to the airline’s flexible booking policy. Customers are able to exchange their booking for a voucher or move their dates without incurring a change fee if their plans change. British Airways Holidays’ customers also have access to a range of additional flexible booking options, as part of the company’s Customer Promise, including securing a holiday with a deposit from just £60pp.