The story of that Aer Lingus ad

When Aer Lingus decided last year to produce a world-class brand advertising campaign, the airline realised that it could put its own interpretation on it, but the reality lay with passengers. So Aer Lingus invited a number of groups of passengers - focus groups, in the marketing lingo - to work with them to get a feel for what people thought of the national carrier.

The words that came through all the sessions and which summarised the airline were "intuition", "intimacy" and "professionalism". But how do you convey these concepts through a television advertisement? First thing, you prepare a brief for a number of advertising agencies; they then will interpret that brief into a possible campaign.

The winner of the contract was Irish International, which came up with the concept that finally appeared on our television screens from last March 17th - an appropriate day to start a campaign that was so specifically Irish. What Irish International came up with was a series of people in airport situations who were not as they appeared - and who were recognised by Aer Lingus staff for what they were or felt they were. The director chosen was Simon Delaney of Toytown Films, who has a reputation of being good with people. As the advertisement centred on people's character, it was important that he brought out the best in the actors, so they appeared natural - like normal passengers on Aer Lingus.

The advertisement opens with two men looking at something; the Aer Lingus person sees them as explorers poring over a treasure map. A mother appears, to Aer Lingus and in the eyes of her children, as a prison officer - with the kids as prisoners.

An elegant businessman loses his passport, but Aer Lingus recognises him as he was, a long-haired hippie. A man running for his flight is a top athlete. A child looking around the aircraft is really an astronaut. And a sleepy suited man would rather be in bed with his night-cap on. The thrust of the advertisement is that appearances can be deceptive. The changes in the people and the airline staff's interpretation of them are meant to demonstrate both "intuition" and "intimacy". You sense the flight attendant's amusement when she hands the hippie businessman his passport, but you know she will also keep his secret, demonstrating "professionalism".

New technology plays a huge part in the ad. Each actor had to appear twice in exactly the same scene, but in a different outfit. The scenes were filmed twice and computer software was used to morph the characters, blending them seamlessly from one to another.

Setting up the scenes was an enormous task, taking months to prepare. It was impractical to use an airport, because shooting can only be done there at night, when it is closed. So other Dublin venues were chosen: the opening scenes are shot in the grand stand at Croke Park; an aircraft interior was built in a warehouse in Santry; and the main scenes were shot in O'Reilly Hall in UCD, which is large and modern and could be adapted easily to resemble an airport.

Overlaying all this is haunting music that is both Irish and contemporary. Cyndi Lauper's True Colours was judged to be just the sound they were looking for - as well as supporting the ad's central theme. A number of traditional Irish artists were asked to put their own interpretation on this tune.

Overall, the campaign conveys messages about a world-class airline and the core values of Aer Lingus - that the Irish way is the intimate way. Next time you watch the ad, try to recognise the way it sends these messages.