New TV Commercial for p.s.

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Jul 2, 2013, 6:54 am

#136

halls120

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Quote:

Originally Posted by milesmuncher

They're branding campaigns, while the p.s. ad we're all talking about is more about promoting a specific product / features. Kind of an apples and oranges comparison.

But you need both - most people here are lamenting the lack of emotional connection in the ad, and I agree with you that that is more the domain of a brand campaign than a product highlight. That said, the closest thing to a branding campaign we've seen from UA since the merger is either the Olympics ad (not very good either - just kept rattling off more destinations, more flights, more FEATURES but no emotional connection in the script... the music and athlete imagery maybe, but I don't really know what that is supposed to tell me about United) or the cheesy Chase MileagePlus Explorer commercials (which don't exactly paint the airline in the most aspirational sense).

^^ If you want to see an Olympics ad that creates an emotional connection....

http://youtu.be/M6VzhDE1Wso

Jul 2, 2013, 7:41 am

#137

bob_the_d

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DC Mike

American Airlines - "Going Home"

never seen this one. i'm away from home for a lot and the "remind your family what you look like" is one that's on my mind a lot.

Jul 2, 2013, 12:53 pm

#138

Infinite1K

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaviddesJ

You're really scraping the bottom of the barrel with these "complaints". I mean, seriously, who cares? You're going to choose the crappy seat because it has less video compression?

Setting aside the fact that the IFE is part of the heralded seats that United has been touting, I think it is you that is really scraping the bottom of the barrel if you choose to zero in on the last point I made and ignore the other ones like seat width, length, etc.

So what exactly do you care about a seat if the length, width, etc. does not matter?

Jul 2, 2013, 12:56 pm

#139

DaviddesJ

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Quote:

Originally Posted by halls120

I watched it it at the site originally linked, not full frame. The photo you posted does show more of the seat.

Well, you saw at that site that the whole right side of the video was cut off, right? Surely you wouldn't criticize a video based on only viewing 2/3 of it. Are we now attacking UA because they allowed someone to embed part of their YouTube video on a website? How were they supposed to prevent that?

Jul 2, 2013, 12:57 pm

#140

Infinite1K

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Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchmu

What's most ironic is that it's "like flying international" only because CO is so keen to fly 767's on long-haul international routes instead of the 777 and 747's that UA used on same routes. Another artifact of the race to the bottom.

Actually the work horse of CO's international fleet is the 757. No wonder they think that a domestic 757 is utter luxury and "like flying international".

Jul 2, 2013, 1:03 pm

#141

DaviddesJ

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Quote:

Originally Posted by milesmuncher

When I watch this ad I get a list of benefits: 15" screen, 4 course meal, wifi and power, flat bed seats, ice cream sundae. Those are all good things! What conclusion am I supposed to draw from that list of features? "... as luxurious as flying overseas" gives me a hint at what they're trying to get to, but this ad certainly doesn't convey "luxury" to me.

Well, again, I think it's pretty clear who the target audience for this ad is. It's customers who have plenty of money to afford business class travel, fly internationally in business/first class and know very well the difference between international business class service and US domestic business class service, and would be attracted to the idea of getting the former on transcontinental domestic flights.

Whether there are enough of those people, whether UA is effective at targeting them, whether you could do a better job of casting a slightly wider net with your marketing, all are valid questions. But the ad seems to be a pretty reasonable job of communicating that core message: UA has an international business-class service on some of its transcontinental domestic flights, that none of its competitors offers (or certainly not to the same degree).

I can imagine a better ad. But some of the hating here just seems absurd.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infinite1K

Actually the work horse of CO's international fleet is the 757. No wonder they think that a domestic 757 is utter luxury and "like flying international".

Why do you care if you're on a 757 or 767, if you have the same seats with the same dimensions?

This is a serious question, I might be missing your point.

Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Jul 2, 2013 at 2:30 pm Reason: merge

Jul 2, 2013, 1:45 pm

#142

anc-ord772

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaviddesJ

Why do you care if you're on a 757 or 767, if you have the same seats with the same dimensions?

This is a serious question, I might be missing your point.

Wading into deep and troubled waters my new friend...

Jul 2, 2013, 1:51 pm

#143

UA-NYC

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaviddesJ

Why do you care if you're on a 757 or 767, if you have the same seats with the same dimensions?

This is a serious question, I might be missing your point.

You said you haven't been in the seats on either, just the 777. Having been in them all 3, I can confidently say...there's a difference.

Jul 2, 2013, 1:51 pm

#144

UnitedFlyGuy

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaviddesJ

Why do you care if you're on a 757 or 767, if you have the same seats with the same dimensions?

This is a serious question, I might be missing your point.

Because this is FT and people love to ..... about everything.

Jul 2, 2013, 2:11 pm

#145

halls120

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaviddesJ

I criticized it based on what I saw at the time. Sorry if it offends you that I didn't take the time to view the full frame video, but I admitted my mistake, and acknowledged that the full frame video shows more.

I still think the ad is uninspiring, bland, and isn't going to entice many people to run out and purchase tickets on p.s.

Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Jul 2, 2013 at 2:29 pm Reason: undully personalized comments removed; off-topic

Jul 2, 2013, 2:13 pm

#146

DaviddesJ

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Quote:

Originally Posted by UA-NYC

You said you haven't been in the seats on either, just the 777. Having been in them all 3, I can confidently say...there's a difference.

So you're not claiming that flying on a 767 is inherently better than flying on a 757? Just that the particular UA configuration on their 767s is better than that on their 757s?

In what way is it better? SeatGuru claims that the 767 seat is actually more constricted. Is that wrong?

Jul 2, 2013, 2:28 pm

#147

anc-ord772

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After re-watching the ad, I've decided it's not terrible. It's also not memorable.

If folks haven't done so already, make sure to see it in full view.

Jul 2, 2013, 2:44 pm

#148

DaviddesJ

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Here is a direct link to the YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptb8amWUK4Q

Jul 2, 2013, 3:46 pm

#149

Infinite1K

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaviddesJ

Why do you care if you're on a 757 or 767, if you have the same seats with the same dimensions?

This is a serious question, I might be missing your point.

Lets not muddle the thread with a discussion of wide body versus narrow body for long haul flights. Feel fee to go check out those other threads and pose your question there.

The thrust of this thread is about the seat so lets get back on topic. You still have not said (aside from the video encoding) if you disagree about the physical aspects of the seat.

And for the record, I've been in sCO "lie flat" seat on both 757s (sUA an sCO) as well as 767-300s (sUA) and it is not the best product out there, and certainly worse than the sUA "lie flat" business seats.

Jul 2, 2013, 3:49 pm

#150

DaviddesJ

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Infinite1K

The thrust of this thread is about the seat so lets get back on topic. You still have not said (aside from the video encoding) if you disagree about the physical aspects of the seat.

Disagree with what? I think it's a much better seat than any other product that any other airline currently offers on this route. That's the point of the ad and it seems to me to be true. Whether some other seat that you can't book on this route is better than this one seems rather beside the point.