Teeejay

In today's Wall Street Journal:

UA is trying to reconnect with its best customers -- business travelers -- by renewing a promise, in a new advertising campaign, to get them where they need to go to get ahead.

The airline, as part of an image makeover in advance of its planned exit from bankruptcy-court protection later this year, also is changing the look of its jets with a new paint job that leaves behind the somber blue-and-gray color scheme the UAL Corp. unit has worn for a decade.

The global ad campaign, slated to roll out in print Wednesday and in TV spots later this month, positions United as a facilitator in the successes of those business fliers, not as the star. The tagline, "It's time to fly," is a "call to action for our own employees and a call to action for our customers," said John Tague, executive vice president for customers. It means "it's time to get back to meeting face to face" and "we are ready when you are," he said.

The new paint job for United's mainline jets and regional aircraft is expected to be introduced to employees Wednesday in San Francisco. The new blue-and-white livery is a more elegant variant of the cheerful paint job on planes in United's new low-fare division, Ted, which took to the skies last week.

UA hasn't had a new branding campaign in five years, when its "Rising" ads flopped. Soon after, the carrier plunged into problems, including a pilot job action in the summer of 2000 that forced thousands of flight cancellations, the terrorist attacks in 2001, and the industry's financial nose dive that culminated in United's bankruptcy filing in late 2002. Its advertising budget necessarily was pared back, and the bulk of the spending went toward publicizing garden-variety fare sales and other promotions to lure travelers back to the skies.

This series, which includes quirky illustrated print and billboard ads and animated TV spots set to United's signature music, George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," was prepared by the Minneapolis office of Fallon Worldwide, United's longtime agency and part of Publicis Groupe.

The print ads, done by well-known illustrators, have very little copy and mostly are aimed at business fliers. "Let's face it. It's hard to climb the corporate ladder without going up 30,000 feet," says one. "Business is a series of battles. We make the chariots," says another. A drawing of a man climbing out of a subway stop into a jungle at street-level reads, "You didn't get where you were going by finding the most comfortable spot in the office."

The 60-second TV spots will debut in United hub cities during the Feb. 29 Academy Awards broadcast. Prepared by award-winning animators, the ads tell stories about business travelers set to the Gershwin composition. The only words are at the end: "Where you go in life is up to you, and we're the airline to take you there. United. It's time to fly."

For full story (subscription required):

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1...l?mod=INDUSTRY

Atuchan

I guess this is the new paint scheme?

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=229504

Sankaps

It is strange timing though, given that the airline is still in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I would have thought this would be a good way to announce a re-vitalized United AFTER it came out of Chapter 11. If I were a creditor at this point, I'd be rather miffed.

mymiles2go

I'm not sure what you mean.

But I'm sure you're aware it doesn't cost the airline any more to do the repaint, right?

DenverBrian

Oh, yes it does...it costs in image.

You're probably referring to the fact that UA can simply wait until the time the plane is scheduled to be painted anyway.

The consequences of this? For at least the next 3 years, we'll have:

--New UA livery on a small number of planes (increasing over time but at an achingly slow rate).

--Old UA livery on a large number of planes (decreasing over time but at an achingly slow rate).

--Newer SHUTTLE livery on a ridiculous number of planes.

--Older SHUTTLE livery on enough planes to really make things confusing.

--TED livery on a growing number of planes.

I don't know of any other business that would allow old logos/paint schemes to remain in the company for longer than perhaps a year.

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Brian/\/\

imkeww

The old shuttle planes (59 of them) will all be repainted within the next year or two... their D-checks are all coming up... in fact, 4 are in the paint shop as we speak, with one supposed to roll out on the 19th...

Sankaps

What I mean is:

1. Though the cost of repainting will not increase, there must be a one-time cost UA had to pay the ad agencies, design houses, etc, for the assignment to come up with a new livery. These fees are usually at least in the seven figures.

2. In temrs of timing, it would seem to me that it would have made sense to annouce UA's emergence from Chap. 11 with the new livery and ad campaign. Symbolises a revitalised, out of the "hospital" company. Why not wait a few months to have a fresh start?

SEA_Tigger

Perhaps UA wishes to divert attention from being C11?

Also, if the purpose of a new livery and campaign is to generate new revenue - especially new revenue with your most lucrative customers - then better to launch it now so as to help get UA out of bankruptcy through increased bookings and revenue.

UA's doing a lot better then the pundits expected, but it's nowhere near out of the woods yet. C11 reorg is taking longer then expected and even if/when UA does make it out of C11, it's no guarantee. Witness US, which many believe is pretty much doomed to C7 extinction within the next five years or so...

Sankaps

NWA has re-painted almost a third of its fleet already, and it has been only about six months since its new livery was unveiled. At this rate, should have the whole fleet done within another year to 18 months...

DenverBrian

Thanks for making my point. Shuttle was ended in, what, 2000? This means that ex-Shuttle planes will have blared their old livery for 5 years or more before being repainted.

No other business works this way.

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Brian/\/\

ouster1

Well said SEA_Tigger!

United is rolling out their new image at a great time. There is no need to wait until they exit out of their financial nightmares this yeat. I do believe it will be this year too.

United has built up an enormous amount of strength and lets not forget presence lately. They have more high revenue generating promotions in the marketplace right now than any other airline. Leaving many other airlines to try and play catch up with them.

Personally, I think United finally started wising up and listening to their customers. The name of the game for any business is Customer Loyalty. And this United is working at doing to the 'T'.

I like the fact that United is trying to break away from alwways being a shadow behind American. Lately United is being seen as the lead driver while American takes the back seat. My hat goes off to United and its employees.

No time to celebrate though, they need to keep it up.

boomerang-boy

Love it. It's long overdue.

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Greetings from the land of 10,000+1 lakes.

mymiles2go

Ok... I don't disagree, it would be nice to wake up some day and have them all repainted... but it isn't practical even for a financially stable airline.

So, what would your proposal be? (I'm not trying to be condescending, just curious)

uastarflyer

I kind of liked the new print ad campaign (back page of "A" section in WSJ).

I understand the TV ads will make heavy use of Rhapsody in Blue and commence during the Oscar awards.

The color scheme - okay not great - but better than military grey anyday.

DenverBrian

Proposal 1: Commit to a certain schedule for having standardized livery in all planes in say, two years. Certainly not the 7 years that UA has stretched it to.

Proposal 2: Change the livery subtly, so as not to detract from the older livery. One example: Change the dark gray to silver on the old livery. If it truly is "not practical" to repaint all the planes in a short time, then live with that, but stop trying to have your cake (new livery) and eat it too (stable, instantly recognizable brands, logos, look and feel).

Proposal 3: Don't change the livery on the mainline UA planes until all vestiges of Shuttle are gone.

Proposal 3a: Keep the old livery and update the Shuttles by year end 2004.

My gripe here is that I can't come up with any other business on the planet that would allow five separate logostyles to co-exist, especially when they're trying to launch a marketing campaign to emerge from bankruptcy.



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Brian/\/\