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11 May, 2021

British Airways staff (not actors) front airline’s first ad campaign since 2019

By Christian Fleetwood

After one of the worst years in aviation history, British Airways has launched a new advertising campaign that puts its people and customers at the centre of the story about its return to the skies.

Created by advertising agency Ogilvy UK, the TVC, ‘You make us fly’, was first shared with British Airways staff and then on the airline’s social media channels.

The 60-second ad went to air on TV over the weekend and marks the airline’s first campaign since its centenary in 2019.

The campaign features the airline’s own people, all of who volunteered to feature in the advert that has been designed to have an uplifting feeling and remind customers that they are “at the heart of British Airways”.

The ad showcases the British Airways staff proudly making their way back to work with a very British sense of urgency, to do what they love most: caring for customers.

The music that plays throughout the advert is “Flower Duet” from Delibes’ opera Lakme, which first featured in British Airways’ advertising more than 40 years ago and is used as its boarding music.

Sean Doyle, CEO and chairman of British Airways, said: “There is a sense of huge anticipation from colleagues across the airline who are preparing to return to work after a very difficult year.

“The story illustrates the pride that our people tell me they’re feeling at the thought of seeing our planes in the sky once again and having the opportunity to welcome and serve our customers, to reunite them with their friends and relatives. The excitement is palpable.”

Helen Wetton, British Airways’ 777 captain and the first colleague to feature in the advert, said: “I am tremendously proud to have been involved in creating this advert with British Airways.

“I played my own role as a female captain who springs out of bed and races to get to work. I am so excited to get back to doing what I love and flying our customers around the world again, when the time is right.”

Ogilvy UK’s chief executive creative director, Jules Chalkley, said: “The creative platform was inspired by the very people who make British Airways a world-class brand – the pilots, the cabin crew, the engineers, the ground team … everyone.

“Our creative tells the world: ‘You make us fly’. When you talk to the British Airways team, this love for their passengers is their first thought, the reason they get out of bed in the morning.

“The whole platform is a celebration of that passion as we see British Airways colleagues getting back to doing what they do best and the thing they love so much: looking after people. It also brings a surge of excitement and sense of possibility on the cusp of a hugely important time for us all.”

Featured image source: British Airways

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ad campaign advertising airline british airways Helen Wetton Jules Chalkley Ogilvy UK Sean Doyle You make us fly