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I must admit I don’t watch a lot of commercials these days. With TiVo fast forwarding is very easy and if I am watching regular TV I will channel surf when a commercial comes on.
I must admit I like this commercial. It makes me chuckle all the time but more important I believe this commercial differentiates this company from the competition.
Most people don’t like the airlines these days. They don’t like how they are being nickel and dimed for everything. Eight dollars for an ugly, small blanket . . . do I need to say more?
- This commercial directly goes after the competition
- It clearly identifies a price difference between Southwest Airlines and other carriers
- It highlights baggage carriers – which to me look like regular people who care about their job.
To Southwest Airlines I tip my cap and say "a job well done and money well spent!"
What do you think?
- Do you like the commercial?
- Do you think Southwest does a nice job with the message?
- What other companies’ commercials do you currently like?
I look forward to your comments.
John Joseph says:
Love it, love it, love it. It differentiates SW from the competition and reinforces their independent spirit and friendliness. Hope one of the Omnicom companies ad agencies thought of this. Very clever.
janet says:
I love it too. Southwest has long been my airline of choice. They really are a different airline and I don’t know why the others don’t work harder to be more like them. They are consistently better than all the rest.
Tom McGoldrick says:
Great commercial. If you want a chuckle go to youtube and search for United Breaks Guitars. A customer generated video with over 8 million views, a comparable number to a top rated TV show.
Christing Cook says:
Love it! On the Today Show today they were talking about this very issue. They $20 you to death these days. Some airlines are now charging for you to pick your seat! Crazy!
Rick Johnson says:
I really like the commercial as well! Southwest is one of the only airlines that usually makes money!!
Most travelers want to get from Point A to Point B without paying mega bucks to get there. Jump on the plane chip in for gas…give me my peanuts and let me know when it’s safe to get off the plane.
Southwest really did a good job! Another company that has a good ad campaign is Progressive Insurance (Flo).
Susan says:
And they are launching more employee commercials… http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=124251&nid=112256
Karen Dawson says:
It’s one of my favorite commercials these days; Southwest gets it; at a time where you are right, Merrill….most people hate the airlines now.
Merrill Dubrow says:
This strategy is really paying off for them:
USA TODAY
May 20, 2010 Thursday
FINAL EDITION
MONEY; Pg. 1B
324 words
Southwest: ‘Bags Fly Free’ pays off;
CEO points to major increase in revenue
Dan Reed
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines says not charging travelers extra to check their bags is paying off in a big way.
Gary Kelly, Southwest’s CEO, told reporters at the airline’s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday that his carrier has gained about $1 billion in revenue by taking market share from its rivals — almost all of which charge from $15 to check one bag to as much as $100 or more for a third in some circumstances.
Kelly acknowledged that his $1 billion claim is hard to prove because nearly all U.S. airlines have cut capacity by reducing flights or moving to smaller planes the last 18 months as traffic has fallen. That distorts comparisons.
However, he said, “I’m simply saying that we reduced our capacity, and we’re carrying more passengers, while our competitors are reducing capacity and carry less passengers.”
Southwest also has improved its market share by moving into new cities, such as New York, Boston and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
But Kelly said the policy, which it has widely promoted in a “Bags Fly Free” advertising campaign, gets most of the credit.
“We can’t prove to you it is the source of that (market share) shift, but what we can prove is the awareness,” Kelly said. “The ad campaign has been very powerful. It definitely has penetrated the American traveler’s consciousness. They definitely know that we don’t charge for bags.”
Kelly said the strategy and campaign began paying off in the second half of 2009, when revenue began rising sharply.
“We significantly out-performed the industry in 2009 revenue production and believe our record 2009 load factors and revenues dwarf what we would otherwise have collected in bag fees,” Kelly said.
The rest of the industry, meanwhile, began reporting big revenue from charging passengers to check luggage. In the first nine months of last year, U.S. airlines made more than $2 billion from bag fees, according to the Transportation Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
May 20, 2010