Air New Zealand Flunks Out of First Class

Advertiser: Air New Zealand

Agency: Team One Advertising, El Segundo

Challenge: Develop an image for Air New Zealand as it expands its service to London and Sydney from Los Angeles International Airport.

The Ads: Print ads rely on innuendo and double-entendre to describe the quality of Air New Zealand’s customer service. One ad focuses on a portrait shot of a man with a quizzical expression. The legend says, “I watched the flight attendant tuck in the guy next to me. What’s up with that?” A second ad shows a woman with a quizzical look and the legend, “The flight attendant couldn’t stop smiling. What was she on?” In smaller type, the ads say Air New Zealand employees are warm and friendly. Each ad uses the slogan, “Welcome aboard. Really.”

Comment: In these ads, Air New Zealand says it is trying to dispel the cynicism travelers have about airline service. And, indeed, Air New Zealand has something to crow about: The September issue of Travel and Leisure magazine ranked it second behind Singapore Airlines in customer service. But these ads, with a wordplay about drug use and an allusion to the “coffee, tea or me” style of service, are in poor taste. They do little to establish Air New Zealand as a world-class airline. $