When United Airlines introduced its “Fly the Friendly Skies” tagline in 1965, the average loaf of bread cost 21 cents, Beatlemania afflicted millions and the Super Ball was the latest craze in kids’ toys.
A lot has changed since then, but United is betting that air travelers want to return the friendliness of a bygone era. On Sept. 20, 2013, United announced the return of its iconic
“Fly the Friendly Skies” slogan in an integrated marketing campaign that kicked off the next day.
Reinterpreted for today’s travelers, the campaign features the voice-over talent of Matt Damon and seeks to convince travelers that United understands what it means to be “friendly”
today — a combination of service, technology and product enhancements.
“‘Flyer-friendly’ resonated in feedback from our customers and co-workers,” said Tom O’Toole, United’s senior vice president of marketing and loyalty and president of MileagePlus, in a company statement. “Our new brand campaign expresses the customer focus of all of United’s investments.”
The new campaign includes network, cable and spot television; radio, magazine, newspaper, out-of-home and digital advertising; and social media. See the new TV and print ads here.
TV Advertising Touts Products and Services
United rolled out the new campaign with four television advertisements, all designed to highlight the friendliness of United’s products and services.
- The inaugural spot, “Orchestra,” introduces “flyer-friendly” by showing that musicians have enough room to play “Rhapsody in Blue” while seated on a United aircraft.
- “Taxi,” shows drivers shuttling United customers around the world, a nod to United’s global route network.
- “Built Around You,” shows amenities from select United cabins, such as extra-legroom, flat-bed seats, in-seat power and seat-back in-flight entertainment, being configured around customers on board.
- The final spot, “Satellite,” aptly shows passengers using the company’s global satellite Wi-Fi network, rolling out fleetwide soon.
Six Things to Learn from United
As an integrated marketer, what can you learn from the new United campaign? Here at Marketing Tango, we belief the strength in the campaign lies in five key strategies you can replicate at your own company.
Use nostalgia to make an emotional connection. United is trying to associate goodwill feelings with an industry battered by customer service flaws by bringing back the feel-good slogan and continuing to use the “Rhapsody in Blue” jingle that has scored its advertising since 1987.
Back up claims with proof. In United’s case, airline marketers point to the company’s investments in a global route network, aircraft, onboard features, customer service and digital channels as ways United delivers flyer-friendly perks.
Show real people. All of the United workers featured in the advertising are actual United employees.
Repeat your key message across all platforms. Each campaign element connects a United product or service with the word “friendly” — legroom-friendly, nonstop-friendly, Wi-Fi-friendly — to drive home key messaging.
Build alliances. United is running the campaign across its sponsorship portfolio, including the 12 NFL teams United flies, the New York Marathon, and the professional basketball and hockey teams the airline sponsors.
Target audiences. United is running print ads in newspapers and magazines across the country, but is reserving radio advertising for the airline’s U.S. hub markets.
For other ideas on reviving brands, read our case study on Wells Fargo’s new campaign, “Mixing Icons and Generations to Reach More Customers.”
