The Germans have a great word for a tune that you cannot shake. "Ohrwurm" or earworm which gets stuck in your head. In this case it's not the last piece of music I heard on the radio before leaving home, it was a radio advert for Shop Small UK, the excellent initiative from American Express which encourages people to only shop in local stores on Saturday 6th December. This is the advert here - the radio version is the same.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfUBY12OaYE[/embed]

Once you've listened to this then listen to this advert from British Airways back in 2011.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XozHLoqwp_4[/embed]

I've not had time to research the creative source of either advert but the similarities are quite marked.

Yesterday British Airways broadcast on UK television their latest advertisement having trailed it heavily on social media. Stylistically it's a departure from their usual efforts suggesting a strong degree of technology and modernity but that really shouldn't be a surprise. I have no particular insight other than being a regular customer / passenger but British Airways appear to have followed a solid narrative arc in three phases since the economic downturn;

(1) Survival - focus on simple revenue generating advertising with a strong consumer purchase call to action.

(2) Restore the brand - reminding every one of the heritage of the airline and reviving the 'To Fly. To Serve' motto as being a core part of the proposition.

(3) Brand & Product - placing product and the brand experience at the heart of the message although still in the context of 'To Fly. To Serve'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1M0pbxNUF8

The third, and final stage is possible because with the retrofitting of the 777 fleet and the introduction of new 787 and A380 aircraft into the fleet allow British Airways to up the tempo of their communications. They have every reason to 'brag', in as civilised a way as the brand allows, and they are.

It's an excellent piece of work by BBH London. The score is beguiling and the juxtaposition of imagery takes British Airways to a new level of consumer engagement - leaving the category behind in my opinion.