Olympics Special: British Airways

The challenge facing British Airways, official airline for London 2012, and their agency BBH was something of a paradox. How could they advertise to their UK market, encouraging them to take flight with BA, whilst supporting a major event happening in the country’s capital? The answer was a self-sacrificing campaign that urges the British public to stay at home this summer to support Team GB. 

 

‘Home Advantage’ has rolled out across TV, but the lads and ladies in Casa Del LBB have been having a right old time of it, procrastinating with the online offering. It uses Google Street View to allow users to showcase their manor in the ad, and does so seamlessly. We caught up with BBH Creative Director Justin Moore to talk us through the work.

 

LBB> What were the key challenges in developing the Olympics-related campaigns for BA?

JM> Sidestepping all the clichés of brand sponsor ads and creating work that was that only British Airways could make.

 

LBB> What solutions did you arrive at and how did you reach them?

JM> We decided that the best way we could express our support for Team GB, was by asking people not to use our product. The Home Advantage campaign contains a rallying cry that could only come from British Airways.

  

LBB> Why did you decide to have two separate campaigns (‘To Fly. To Serve’ and ‘Home Advantage’)? Were they speaking to different audiences or was it a case of ramping up the excitement?

JM> It’s a bit contradictory to put ‘To Fly. To Serve.’ on the ‘Home Advantage’ campaign. We’ll return to our long-term brand thought when the Olympic campaign is over. Everything we do is built around it.

 

LBB> What do the finished campaigns say about the relationship between BA and the Olympics?

JM> We hope this campaign elevated British Airways from the ranks of corporate Olympic sponsors, to being one of the partners that actively helped push our athletes to greater success.

 

To play about with the interactive ad, click here: http://taxi.ba.com/

To view the spot and find out more, click here: http://bit.ly/MzPrhr