Southwest Resuming TV Campaign With 2 Ads

Southwest Airlines, which quickly returned to full service after last week’s terrorist attacks, tonight will reinstate television advertising with a pair of new commercials, the company said Tuesday.

Southwest is believed to be the first major U.S. airline to reinstate advertising of its service since the attacks. United Airlines, American Airlines and other major carriers have yet to say when they will resume advertising campaigns, which were halted immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks.

New television commercials for the nation’s seventh-largest air carrier will run during local sports broadcasts in Los Angeles, the Bay Area and seven other major metropolitan areas. The spots also will replace Southwest ads that began running Sept. 9 during regionally televised National Football League games.

The advertisements will provide a stark contrast to viewers accustomed to the Dallas-based airline’s tradition of humorous spots. In one commercial, Southwest President and Chief Operating Officer Colleen Barrett delivers “a heartfelt message” about last week’s tragedies while the screen shows Southwest planes and employees. In the second spot, an unidentified announcer delivers a similar message while the screen shows Southwest crews and aircraft.

Both commercials lean heavily on recent correspondence from Southwest executives to employees and customers.

“Some parts of the ads were taken straight from those messages,” said Melanie Jones, creative manager for Southwest’s public relations department.

Some of the best-known companies are gradually returning to broadcast and print advertising that they withdrew after the attacks. FedEx Corp. on Monday made the decision to return to the airwaves with spots, and Taco Bell Inc. on Tuesday night unveiled a string of new commercials that had been delayed for several days because of the tragedies.

“This advertising says ‘We’re still here, we’re still in business to serve you,’ ” said Eric Webber, communications director for GSD&M;, Southwest’s longtime advertising agency. “We’re doing everything we can to get back to the level of service you need and expect.”