British Airways shouts louder than the no frills

British Airways today launches the first phase of a major advertising offensive to support its fightback against the no frills carriers.

The campaign uses the broadest mix of media ever employed in a single British Airways campaign, including TV, press, radio, poster, online and new media. 

The advertisements will appear in everyday locations, where the airline is not traditionally seen, including nearly 200 Nationwide cashpoint machines, 8,000 panels in underground trains and at 75 underground stations plus arrivals and departures boards in key rail stations in London and the UK.

The advertising challenges the perception that British Airways is expensive and promotes the carrier’s new low fares to Europe. BA is the only scheduled airline offering year-round low fares on as many as 6,500 flights a week to 170 European destinations.

The advertisements feature bursting "fat prices" such as the £69 return fare from London to Paris and Amsterdam with the strapline "Have you seen how small our prices are?".

Martin George, Director of Marketing and Commercial Development said: "This is a big, bold campaign that signals we are serious about competing with the no-frills airlines and we are shouting about it. People want a full service flights at no-frills prices and that is what we are offering." 

The radio campaign centres on Trigger Happy TV comedian Dom Jolly shouting about where he is and how he got there on BA’s low fares. 

To reach a younger audience, there will be roaming laser projections across London and for the first time enormous 30 metre posters on sites in London, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester as well as posters on long term sites.

The new campaign is also a return to price-led advertising on TV for the first time in four years with over 2,000 TV ‘hits’ in September alone. It will also be broadcast on more than 235 regional radio stations where the no-frills competition is at its most intense.