Monday, July 22, 2013

Advertising on Underbelly

Ever since I can remember, I was always looking up.  Up in the sense that, as I heard the roar of a plane fly above, I would always look up. I'd wave to the plane as my mum would tell me and my siblings to, "say hi to Granny", even though Granny would have flown back home 3 months ago. Slightly older, my brother and I would play the 'guess what plane' that is game. Ah, some things never change, I still play that game, with or without my brother around.

When Emirates started flying to/from Australia it was literally a game changer.  Not only did Emirates have their identifiable tail, but they also had emblazoned on the plane's belly, EMIRATES.


Of course, this also made the 'guess the plane' game so much easier.  No more waiting for the plane to turn, no more tilting my head at awkward angles.

However, after all these years, the only other plane that I see often that also has an inscribed underbelly is JetStar.  In this day in age where all spaces are for sale, how could such a prominent place on a plane be so under utilised?

I did some research and found that only a handful of airlines capitalise on this space.  These include: Emirates, JetStar, Air Berlin, Virgin Atlantic, Fiji Air, Solaseed Air, Qatar Air and Air Asia/Air Asia X.

Utilising this space on the underbelly of the plane would be a marketers dream!  I know that it costs money to paint and maintain it, and that paint is heavy, detracting away from the cargo/passengers it could carry, but it seems priceless.  The brand would exposed to so many people in so many countries.


Surely I can't be the only one in the world who looks up every time a plane flies overhead.  What a missed opportunity!




References:
http://m7.i.pbase.com/g4/89/584089/2/52450667.Emiratesnewunderbellylogo.jpg
Had a little help from my mates who helped me I.D. what other planes have their name on the plane's belly

I designed my "Air Ayesha" at the following site - http://www.skies-unlimited.com/conceptdemo.aspx#/?mode=&item=0