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

Fitness Clothes and Workout Wear

Correct me if I am wrong, but the reason the fitness industry exists is to (financially) capitalise on the motivation people have, to lead a healthy life through various exercises and activities.


If this is the case, why do SO many companies only make gym clothes for the people who are already converts, and not to those who actually need to be engaged with regular exercise?  We're a country (and world) that is getting larger and larger around the waist. 

It seems that fitness clothes made by the larger corporations are only made for those who would look good wearing the brand.  Is it a case or conspiracy that these big corporations don't want larger people to wear their clothes?  Will the fact that a size 20 woman or a 4XL man wearing a fitness logo detract from the brand image these companies want to uphold?  Is it a shaming thing? The fact and irony is, only if larger people lose weight will they be then able to fit into those clothes.

There are some fitness and exercise companies like Lululemon and Lorna Jane that are all about the raaahh, motivating people to get moving and also try to take away the fear or instill a no holds bar attitude. Their t-shirts have emblazoned slogans such as, "Never give up" and "Live Life Love Life". The tragedy is, both these companies only make sizes up to an Australian women's 16, and its not a very generous sized system either! I'm not normally a 16 in clothes and yet I have great difficulty in fitting into the largest size in either of these brands!

Programs like "The Biggest Loser" make me feel uncomfortable and I also feel a sense of shame for the individual 'on display'. How much more motivated would they be to exercise if they had fitness clothes that made them feel good and confident?  Why is it that the coaches and trainers get to wear all the latest branded apparel and the contestants are either in a cotton 'Biggest Loser' t-shirt or they're bare?  I suppose shaming people is one way to lose weight, I like to think that you can motivate people to do that too.

Exercise is exercise.  One persons 1-minute mile is another persons walk to pick up the kids from school.
One of my main motivators to get fit and stay active was investing in good quality gym wear.  It was about feeling good and confident while exercising.  If only we could only pass that opportunity on to all people.


P.S. The only company that I could see made much larger sized clothes was Nike (available in the US). 


Images taken from: 
http://info.lululemon.com.au/education/info/sizes?mnid=mn;education;size-chart&icid=cars2;wk24;sizeguide;2013
http://images.smh.com.au/2013/03/26/4140623/729-biggest-loser-kevin-620x349.jpg

Where the Loyalty Lies

With the re-appointment of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister, I slept well for the first time in 3 years and 3 days.  There is now a new hope for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to climb back up the polls and possibly win the next election. (after ex-Prime Minister Julia Gillard stepped down and retires after losing yesterday's leadership ballot).

Now we all know the environment in parliament is quite different to the environment of our workplaces.  However, one thing that both parliament and our workplaces have in common is navigating that fine line of loyalty.  Our loyalty to the party, organisation or employer and loyalty to the leader, CEO or our manager.

Political loyalty over the last 24 hours has been raised many times (even more over the last 3 years!) and it was clear that some politicians really struggled with their decision on who should be leader of the ALP, thus becoming Prime Minister.

By nature of who we are and the psychology under which we operate, we humans are social and loyal creatures. We thrive in an environment surrounded by other like minded people. We all want to belong to something and by belonging to something, we want to pledge an allegiance and our loyalty to that person or group.  In the workplace, we ideally work for an organisation who mirrors our values, surrounded by similar thinking people, channeling the same values, vision and being a team player.

What the ALP party members faced yesterday was a tug-of-war in the loyalty games.  Either loyalty to the incumbent PM (their manager) or loyalty to the ALP (organisation, employer).
It was a choice of either; a) Stick with Julia Gillard, the present PM, someone who is good with her team but has alienated the public and may greatly lose seats in the election.  Or b) Vote for Kevin Rudd, ex PM who was disposed of 3 years ago, someone who may not be the best with their team but will have a greater chance to win around the public and not lose so many seats or even possibly win the election. Ultimately, it was also a choice in age old, 'flight or fight' - fight for a chance for the ALP and their own seat's survival or flight, flee reality and continue pledging loyalty to the then PM, Julia Gillard.

In today's ever changing workplaces, our loyalties are constantly being tested. Redundancies, downsizing, mergers and takeovers, no one is really secure where they are and in some professional environments and circumstances, the only person you can really count on is yourself.  There have been many times when I have demonstrated loyalty to the organisation and or to my managers. Many times, my loyalty did not really count for anything.  Regardless of my attitude, regardless of my hard working nature.  Unfortunately, it seems to me these days that loyalty counts when money and business doesn't, or at least when budgets are not that tight and jobs are not in jeopardy.

So what did we learn today?
We all want to be loyal, we all want to be part of something bigger and want to be surrounded by like minded people. However, when the times are tough and people are scared, we retreat and question what we need in the search for self-preservation.  In tough situations, we too would question our loyalty.  We also need to remember that where you place your loyalty can determine your own success or failure. It's no wonder that loyalty is not lauded as it once used to be.



Image from: 
http://images.smh.com.au/2013/06/27/4524205/spruddspeaks27-20130627121936747447-620x349.jpg