AIRLINE ADVERTISEMENTS

We are analysing changing representations in airline advertisements. We have noticed that people are represented very differently in different advertisements; for example, the current Brirish Airways advert The Aviators emphasises 'We fly. To serve', emphasising the brand's traditional message and values of service, quality and reliability. The BA website stresses the passion, dedication and commitment of the staff through the representations of them in the video, whose focus is more on the staff than the customer:

'These four words were painted on the tailfins of our early aircraft. And our pilots still wear them with pride. In the lining of their jackets and on the peaks of their hats.

They're rarely noticed, but they've always been at the heart of everything we do. Because they're not a slogan. They're a promise. We're committing to this promise again and we'll continue to build on it. With the certainty that we face our future with the same pride we feel for our past.

To Fly. To Serve. It's what we do. It's who we are.' 

Watch the 2011 BA advert here
The commercial was directed by Frederick Planchon for BHH. In the 'making of the BA Aviators advertising campaign' video, we learn that it is a tribute to the high quality staff of the past who have made the brand what it is today. This is why the advert starts with representations from the airline's early days.
Here is 'the making of the advertisement' video


BA is one of the first major brands to launch an advertising campaign on Twitter - see my Twitter feed HERE