M&C LAUNCHES FIRST BRITISH AIRWAYS CAMPAIGN
By Adnews Staff
British Airways was set last week to launch the first campaign created by M&C Saatchi since the British-based agency won airline's $100 million(US) global account in May. The new worldwide campaign was slated to start Sunday, using a television commercial and print advertising to reach business travellers. The TV spot cost $1.5 million(US) to produce. It features a series of quirky dream sequences and has the tag line "Every year the hopes, dreams and ambitions of 30 million people fly with British Airways. No one knows the business mind better." The commercial is to be aired in about 133 markets, but perhaps not in Canada, according to account coordinator Lori Zinger at Vickers & Benson Advertising in Toronto, which services the account in Canada. Zinger told Adnews on Friday that a decision was still pending whether to use the TV spot from M&C Saatchi. She said a decision was also to be made whether to use the print ads created in the London and the U.S. or to create Canadian ones. In any case, she said, new advertising for the airline will start in Canada at the end of January. M&C was formed last year by Maurice and Charles Saatchi after Maurice was ousted as chairman from the 10-year-old agency the two brothers had founded, Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide. British Airways had been a longtime Saatchi client, and when Maurice was ousted the airline put its account up for review. M&C bested Saatchi in the competition and took over the account.