CR Blog

Doesn’t this ad miss the point though??

Surely the whole issue with terminal 5 isn’t planes arrival time, it’s the departure times being delayed?

A planes arrival time would surely be dictated by what time it took off from the other airport?? and if your baggage arrives then that’s the responsibility of the airport at the other end putting it on the plane?

Those terminals are suspiciously empty for the middle of summer.

nice…i like it. really tied up idea, the site works nicely too.
do we know who shot them ?
and will the passengers be able to access the site in the terminal to see themselves / others maybe?

Being candid about the statistics is great as its not boasting about being the greatest, 100% on time, terminal in the world. Instead it is simply showing that ‘Terminal 5 is Working’ like any other first world terminal should.

Also the choice of media, which I saw for example on the new CBS escalator flatscreens at Tottenham Court Road, is inspired…it is showcasing a cutting edge, high tech terminal* with a cutting edge, high tech ad campaign.

*allegedly anyway!

I’m not nearly as interested in the effectiveness of the campaign as the ingenuity of the production and deployment of the advertising.

Even if each ad was concepted and schemed well in advance, it is refreshing to see a company recognize that the “shelf-life” of their message can be one day. It overs unique flexibility for messaging and gives the perception that the company itself is flexible.

Dear Deb,

Your point can be made just as effectively WITHOUT YELLING.

Thank you.

For a fraction of the cost, they could have shot Willie Walsh driving around Essex, delivering peoples’ bags back to them, with a wave and a ’so sorry, but we’re doing better now’.

As someone who ended up in Stockholm for a week with no baby carriage for a one-year old, these ads particularly grate with me.

I love it. The copy and photos aren’t seemless, but both are good enough to hold it together.

No doubt Terminal 5 has had some bad press, but in my experience all airport terminals are prone to errors.

Let’s just give the ads the credit they deserve. If you look at the top of this page you’ll see it says ‘News and views on visual communications’ - not ‘random views on your flight and holiday’.

I’m not sure what the cost of the ads has to do with their customer service policies. In fact does anyone commenting here actually know the cost? I doubt it.

I like the idea but the stats are less than awe inspiring and, as someone already pointed out, it’s departures more than arrivals that have caused concern.. I like the tagline though, pragmatic and it works for me. I just wish they had more exciting stats - is 89% really something to shout about? I’m not sure..

And perhaps I’m cynical but it seems handy that all the shots & stats are taken between 6am-2pm, I wouldn’t have thought that was the busiest time at any airport..?

I do really like the concept though, I hope those actually are real people on real journeys & not posed models..

I noticed these ads on the London Underground and have to admit they did make me stop and look at them, more for the tag line than anything else. I like the fact that it’s so British to celebrate something that should have worked but didn’t. Like we should be grateful for small mercies. Not sure the pictures show the terminal in the best light as the second ad does seem a bit sparse. I agree about the turn around of ads too, but are these ads really going to be changed on a daily basis. If there not then one of their best elements becomes irrelevant. Interesting though, I love a good debate.

@martyn: 500 cancelled flights and 23,000 pieces of misplaced baggage in the first 5 days alone is more than “an error.” Can you imagine being asked whether you want to board a flight *without* your luggage? This was a complete failure on BA’s part for not doing the proper amount of system testing, not developing contingency plans for the expected failures in an automated system, and not having the balls to cancel the T5 move and opening.

I hate to be an even bigger cynic but they could have shot much better photos. Ad #1 looks like father and daughter have been waiting hours for their mother to arrive and they’re getting bored and tired. They should have used a photo of them hugging after being reunited. Ad #2 looks like the ladies are going home after becoming frustrated with checking in or being told they wouldn’t be able to fly with luggage. In this case, they should have used a photo of them in the terminal hallways with luggage check or customs in the background after having breezed through.