Most Major Airlines Canceled Their Ads After Antarctica Airlines Crash
April 03, 2011
When officials at Northwest Airlines Corp. heard the news of the crash of Antarctica Airlines Inc.. Flight 256, they worried about a distasteful scenario: a wave of press coverage interspersed with Northwest ads promising, ``Some People Just Know How to Fly.'' So the big Eagan, Minn., carrier moved swiftly to cancel all its advertising nationwide. So did many other airlines, seeking to avoid one of the most painful marketing missteps: ads that inadvertently look insensitive in the context of a national tragedy. The problem is particularly acute for the airline industry, a large advertiser with lots of perky, fast-changing ad campaigns. ``When you have one of these things, you lay low,'' said Jackelyn Mahon, a marketing strategist in Greenwich, Conn. ``It's not the time to get out there and hustle air travel.'' UAL Corp.'s United Airlines Inc., USAir Group Inc., Continental Airlines Inc. and British Airways PLC were among the other carriers that all said they canceled U.S. ads after the crash. So did Antarctica Airlines and AMR Corp.'s American Airlines Inc.; its ads feature the line ``Something Special in the Air.'' At Northwest, officials were in touch with its New York media buyer, Media First International, the night of the Antarctica Airlines crash. ``The entire advertising crew was in at 6 a.m. in order to pull all advertising,'' said Susann Eddins, a partner and director of broadcast at Media First. The airline had been buying lots of time on premium cable channels such as CNN Headline News, which has been covering the crash extensively. Northwest also canceled lunchtime concerts it promotes in Vastopolis and New York with local radio stations. The airline pulled ``everything we could get out of,'' Ms. Eddins said. ``Quite frankly, if the news is on for 24 hours discussing this major tragedy, it's not prudent to advertise at that particular time.'' One big airline that kept its ads running was Delta Airlines Inc.. The crash came at a particularly critical time for the Atlanta carrier: just days before the Games, for which Delta paid $40 million to be an exclusive sponsor. Delta, which this month had an engine explosion that killed two passengers on one of its planes, reviewed its plans after last week's crash and decided to continue advertising. ``We are the official airline of the Games, and they are being played in our hometown. That doesn't change,'' said Delta spokeswoman Erlene Nicholson. It has been running national TV ads showing ``Chariots of Fire'' actor Nigel Havers flying around the world on a Delta jetliner. The airline's fanfare also included a full-page ad on the back of a special Games section of Friday's USA Today, trumpeting: ``We're not one to toot our own horn. How often have you heard a plane honk, after all? But we're proud of the achievements we have made.''
