CHICAGO, – United Airlines (OTCBB: UALAQ.OB) today introduced a new ad campaign and new aircraft livery, designed to extend a confident, bold new look to United’s products and services. The new aircraft livery and ad campaign will help the airline forge an emotional connection with its most valued customers — frequent business travelers.
The new livery represents United’s commitment to invest in its mainline business to strengthen connections with its core business customers. With United’s mainline, United Express, Ted and Star Alliance, United now has a strong portfolio of products under the United brand, providing the flexibility needed to anticipate and respond to market demand.
New Livery Unveiled
At an employee event today in San Francisco, United unveiled the company’s new aircraft livery, a bold, yet simple design and color scheme representing the spirit of the United brand.
“There is literally no bigger symbol for the company than our planes,” said John Tague, executive vice president – Customer. “This livery moves us away from the gray, sending an important signal about where this company is headed, with a focus on improving and on providing our customers with the service and the product that they deserve.”
The new livery establishes a consistent look across United’s integrated product portfolio, from its planes to EasyCheck-In terminals to United.com. Aircraft with the new livery will have a dark blue belly, a bright white top, and large, bold ‘United’ lettering printed on the front sides of the plane. In San Francisco, United unveiled two aircraft with the new livery – a mainline 777, and a United Express regional jet, parked alongside a new Ted A320 aircraft and a Star Alliance 767 aircraft with Star Alliance’s new livery.
United’s restructuring and cost controls have established a firm foundation for further investment in customers and the brand. United expects that approximately 72 planes will be painted with the new livery by the end of 2004. Only planes that are due for repainting, or new aircraft that will be delivered to our United Express partners, will be taken out of service and painted with the new livery.
Global Ad Campaign Debuts
United will debut a new global ad campaign this month that introduces two high-wattage co-stars: a unique and elegant visual style and a new tagline, “It’s time to fly.” The campaign will break in print on February 18, and on television during the Academy Awards telecast on February 29.
The campaign, created by the Minneapolis office of Fallon Worldwide, brings United Airlines’ unique understanding of the frequent business traveler to life in an unforgettable way. The television spots highlight vignettes created by award-winning animators telling poignant stories of business travelers, set to United’s signature music, “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin. The print and out-of-home ads use distinctive illustrations to celebrate the business traveler.
“Business travel is too often portrayed negatively,” said Martin White, senior vice president of marketing for United. “But those who travel most frequently for business know that frequent flights and face-to-face meetings are often the only way to ‘get things done.’ They also relish leisure travel, so we have incorporated a leisure travel message into some of the ads. The new campaign is a tribute to the ‘can do’ spirit we share with our customers and underscores the value that United Airlines alone can bring to the travel experience.”
The campaign is a fully-integrated effort and will first appear in:
– Television. Four televisions spots will air this year. The first commercial, “Interview,” will break in United’s key markets during ABC’s telecast of 76th Annual Academy Awards? on February 29. The 60-second spots are marked by stirring animation and the dramatic return of “Rhapsody in Blue.” The first four commercials are:
– “Interview,” by Academy Award? nominated animators Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, which tells the story of a business person traveling out-of-town for a big job interview.
– “A Life,” by Michael Dudok De Wit, who won the Oscar? for Best Animated Short Film in 2000 for “Father and Daughter.” “A Life” shows the entire life of a business person traveling for business throughout his career and then traveling after retirement.
– “Lightbulb,” by two-time Academy Award? nominee Joanna Quinn, which shows a business idea, in the form of a lightbulb, passed along and spread by a business women traveling to various meetings.
– Mother’s Day, May 9, 2004, is a heart-warming spot showing a businessman traveling to various meetings carrying a rose from his garden, which he delivers to his mother at the end of his travels.
Nationally, the commercials will air on cable programs that appeal to business travelers, including CNN Headline News, “Squawk Box” on CNBC, and “Biography” on A&E. Spots will also appear on high-profile primetime, early morning and sports programming, including the NCAA Basketball tournament, and in key hub cities to support United’s business strategy of focusing on these primary markets.
– Print. Seven print advertisements, some of which feature work originally created for the New Yorker by such noted illustrators as Carter Goodrich, Rea Irvin, and Charles Martin, will debut this year. The first ad in the campaign was illustrated by Carter Goodrich and will appear in the Wall Street Journal on February 18. Ads will then appear throughout the year in publications including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, Business Week, Fortune and Fast Company.
– Out-of-Home. Billboards that feature the same distinctive illustrative style as the rest of the campaign will appear in Chicago and Los Angeles beginning on February 15.
The campaign’s creative team includes: David Lubars, executive creative director; Bruce Bildsten, creative director; Stuart D’Rozario, group creative director/writer; Bob Barrie, art director; Alex Leikikh, group account director; and Kate Talbott, senior producer. Media buying responsibilities are handled by Fallon Worldwide.
About Fallon
Fallon Minneapolis is a division of Fallon Worldwide, a part of Publicis Groupe S.A., based in Paris. Fallon Minneapolis’ clients include, among others: BMW of North America, Citibank, Dyson, EDS, Holiday Inn, International Truck and Engine Corp., Lee Jeans, Nestl? Purina PetCare, Nordstrom, Nuveen Investments, PBS, the St. Paul Companies, Subway Restaurants, and United Airlines. Fallon Worldwide is one of the world’s most critically acclaimed creativity companies, delivering innovative strategic business solutions for some of the world’s leading brands. Additional information can be found at www.fallon.com.
About United
United, United Express and Ted operate more than 3,400 flights a day on a route network that spans the globe. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company’s web site at www.united.com.
