When an airline’s own pilots call its service “outright embarrassing,” and deride the company’s corporate culture as “toxic,” you can safely say that airline has a problem.
‘World’s Greatest Flyers,’ American Wants YOU!
27.07.2023 - 18:25 / smartertravel.com / Tim Winship
That’s the copy for American’s newly launched “World’s Greatest Flyers” ad campaign. The words scroll across the screen over slick images of desert trekkers, an apple-cheeked baby, multi-colored waves of grain. Music, insipidly pleasant, swells in the background.
Related:Is the ‘Best Travel Rewards Card’ the Best Credit Card for You?It’s vaguely aspirational. You do want to be among the world’s greatest flyers, don’t you? But it feels equal parts like a rebuke. You don’t like babies? You don’t travel with Bose headphones for every flight? You don’t pack like a compulsive-obsessive?
There’s also the little matter of truth. Can the ads’ central claim – that American customers are somehow better than other airlines’ passengers – be backed up? I’ve certainly seen no evidence to support that.
Whatever the take-away message, the approach is a departure from traditional airline advertising, which typically focuses on the personality or attributes of the company, rather than its customers.
The campaign is the first effort from American’s new agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. There’s a well known tendency among newly appointed ad agencies to overreach on their first assignments from new clients, to establish their creative bona fides. The “World’s Greatest Flyers” ads can now be added to that list.
Reader Reality Check
Smart marketing, or a turn-off?
More from SmarterTravel: ‘A First Class Upgrade Every Time’? C’mon! Hotel Tipping – Do You or Don’t You? Hey Big Spender, Redeem Those Travel-Rewards Points Now!After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:55
American’s Pilots Decry ‘Embarrassing’ Product, ‘Toxic’ Culture
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:55
Problem or Solution: Which Kind of Driver Are You?
Planning a road trip this summer? For the sake of safety and peace of mind, your own and others’, add this to the pre-departure to-do list: a review of your driving habits. After all, while there’s nothing you can do to change other drivers’ bad habits, you are at least in control of your own.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:54
American and Uber Hook Up
In a big win for Uber, the ride-sharing service today announced a new partnership with American, the world’s largest airline. “The companies will work together to provide customers faster service, better airport navigation, rider promotions and mileage promotions.”
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:54
Earn Up to 30,000 Bonus American Miles for Europe Flights
Bad news for the airlines often translates as good news for travel consumers.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:53
The NAACP Accuses the World’s Largest Airline of Racism
When Muslim Advocates and the NAACP issue a joint letter accusing the U.S. airline industry of racism, it’s big news. And when the NAACP, the “nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization,” follows that up with an advisory specifically questioning the racial policies of the nation’s largest airline, American, it’s nothing less than a media firestorm. Indeed, all the major news media covered the story exhaustively. And “American Airlines” has been a trending Twitter topic for several days.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:52
Win a $10,000 American Airlines Vacations Voucher
Enter the American Airlines “Your Vacation Spot” sweepstakes by April 1, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a $10,000 American Airlines Vacations travel voucher.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:51
Earn Up to 50,000 Bonus American Miles for Europe Flights
Flying to Europe between now and July 31? Good. Flying on a first-, business-, or full coach-fare ticket? Even better. Because, bonus miles.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:51
Earn an Easy 700 American Miles, and a Chance to Win More
American Airlines’ AAdvantage program is 35 years old this month, and to promote that milestone, the airline is giving away miles:
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:51
Bad News: Alaska Air’s New Earning Rates for American Flights
Until yesterday, American Airlines customers dismayed at the airline’s August 1 pivot to a spend-based mileage program had a fallback option: Earn miles for their American flights in Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program, which still awards miles the old-fashioned way, according to the distance flown.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:50
Spirit Has the Profits. Now It Wants the Love
Could Spirit, the airline everybody loves to hate, become a bit less hateful? If the company’s new CEO has his way, it will do just that.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:50
American Ups the Ante for Premium Airport Lounges
In its latest effort to capture the hearts, minds, and expense accounts of the travel universe’s most privileged 1 percent, American is raising the bar for airport lounges.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:50
Sweepstakes: What Would You Do with 1 Million United Miles?
Enter the United Airlines “Billion Mile Giveaway” sweepstakes by September 30, 2016, for a chance to win one of 100 grand prizes of 1 million United MileagePlus miles, plus $750 to cover taxes, each. Runner-up prizes include smaller numbers of miles. In total, 1 billion miles will be given away.