what is the purpose of your visit? british airways explores reasons we travel in new campaign

british airways’ campaign celebrates individuality of travelers

In its latest advertising campaign, British Airways explores the individual and original reasons people travel, whether it’s to meet loved ones, take time off, or experience other cultures. Titled ‘A British Original,’ the project, which includes photography, graphics, and short films, was developed in collaboration with Uncommon Creative Studio and MG OMD. The theme revolves around the question travelers are often asked when they land in a new destination: ‘What is the purpose of your visit?’ Instead of checking off the standard ‘business’ or ‘leisure’ answers, viewers see witty, meaningful, and relatable responses that show British Airways recognizes each of its customers as individuals.

simple graphics conveying meaningful reasons to travel

The campaign focuses on the employees of British Airways (find more here), who are featured in both the static images and the short films of the project. One of the shots depicts a member of the cabin crew looking out the window, followed by his motivation for doing what he loves: ‘the office view’. In a similar approach, a short film shows a British Airways pilot lovingly rocking his daughter to sleep before leaving for work. The film ends with the pilot explaining why he does what he does every day, which is ‘for her.’

The campaign graphics are very simple, showing only a box to check that includes negative space. This series will include over 500 different and uniquely written lines of text that will give viewers an original reason to travel across all media sites. Examples of reasons to travel include ‘because I have too much on my plate, none of it is seafood’ and ‘to feed the social feed’. These will be adjusted depending on the location, time of day, weather, and news situation. The ad copy will be seen on billboards, playful bus wraps and press ads, taking a Battenburg approach with adjacent placements that have interacting reasons for why we travel.

‘We really wanted this campaign to celebrate the originality of our customers and our people. Every time a customer boards a plane, they are doing so for a unique reason, and we know that those journeys are so important. (…) This brand campaign allows us to showcase our motivation, which is our customers and our people.’ says Hamish McVey, Head of Brands and Marketing at British Airways. 

‘Every day I get to play my part behind the controls of a British Airways’ aircraft, taking customers on some of the most important journeys of their lives. I hear so many incredible stories and reasons for customers traveling, so it is heart-warming to be able to celebrate them. I couldn’t be prouder to feature in this campaign alongside one of my two children and show the world my motivation, my little ones.’ shares Anthony Oliver, British Airways 777 pilot. 

project info: 

name: A British Original
company: British Airways