Branding Blog

Airline Ad #6: Etihad

I'd never heard of Etihad until I saw the ad. Then again, they aren't looking for my type of business.

What do you think? In 3 words.

Airline Ad #5: Eos

Eos is the only airline to run a smaller than full-page ad in the magazine. I think it's still effective. I scanned the entire page just to put it in context.

So, what's your 3-word review?

Airline Ad #4: AirTran

Here's AirTran's ad. Post your three word reviews in the comments.

Here's another perspective....put yourself in the point of view of the travel agent booking trips for your clients vs a corporate travel planner who is under the gun to keep travel costs as low as possible. Would the ad get the same reaction from both? Who did AirTran choose to lose?

Airline Ad #3: Air France

Air France ad from Business Travel News.  What do you think?  3 words or less please.

Airline Ad #2: Southwest Airlines

Here's the second airline ad.  Remember, the rule is to review the ad in 3 words or less.

Review the Airline Ads in 3 Words or Less: Ad #1 JAL

It's so EASY to post a snarky critique of another advertising professional's efforts. I try not to do it much anymore. BUT, I thought it might be fun to let YOU have a stab.

I have a subscription to Business Travel News, and today's issue got me thinking about the airline ads. So, I've scanned ALL of the airline ads and I'll be posting them one per day for the next 7 days.

Here are the guidelines for reviewing the ads:  Use 3 words (or fewer) and post them in the comments.

Remember, the magazine is targeted at Travel Agents and Corporate Travel decision-makers.

Ad Number 1....page 9, full-page. Japan Airlines

Click on the ad for a bigger version.

"The best SEO is Great Content"

Seth Godin's new book, Meatball Sundae, is hot right now. Rachelle Money, a new journalist at WordTracker, caught up with him for a nice interview.

The best take-away is this quote:

"My position is that the clients are the problem, not the consultants. That's because they want shortcuts, not hard work. The best SEO is great content. Don't do that and you don't get much."

There's no writing more painful than forced "SEO writing". I won't do it. The reason is that visitors just don't like it. It's obviously painful and even if it works, it is seldom persuasive if all that traffic comes to your site.

If you diverted a freeway into your parking lot, you'd certainly have more traffic. But, would your new visitors like you or be more likely to become customers?

Buy Meatball Sundae at Amazon.

Soccer Mom Myth Web Site Announced

Michele Miller and Holly Buchanan have unveiled a new web site in support of their book, The Soccer Mom Myth.

My favorite line in the site is a warning:

WARNING: This is not your typical dry business book. It includes politically incorrect views, some unladylike language, and tequila stories. We're pulling back the curtains for a realistic look at what women really want.

I'm about half-way through my pre-release review copy and I'm loving it! You can download free chapters, read about the authors and even watch videos of the authors talking about the book.

Catching Up: Seminars, Superbowl and Awards

Seminars

I'm excited about a couple of seminars approaching in March and April. Mainly because I'll be teaching at both of them.

First, is the "Boom Your Business"  2-day event on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, Australia. Five Wizard of Ads Partners are collaborating to present a variety of the business topics near and dear to our hearts. Of course, the topics we love the best are the same topics we use to grow our clients' businesses. We still have a few seats left. It's a small venue at a yacht club. NICE!

Second, is my Blog/Web Workshop at Wizard Academy. Very limited enrollment. Students will arrive with nothing but ideas and leave with a blog/web site and armed with the power to use it!

SuperBowl Ads

Michele Miller has posted some fun thoughts on the Super Bowl ads. I didn't catch the game this year because we were out celebrating my youngest daughter's birthday (13!). I watched all of the ads in tiny YouTube format. Michele gives her unique look at how the ads played to women.

Awards

Congratulations to Bryan Eisenberg, Holly Buchanan and everyone at Grokdotcom for picking up a couple of nice awards last week!