JetBlue Airways is launching a big new ad campaign from Mullen with the theme "Air on the Side of Humanity." But its big star isn't even human—he's a pigeon.
The 60-second launch spot is a documentary-style piece in which the pigeon—that most frequent of frequent fliers, and most underappreciated of birds—talks about how he flies in crowded spaces, gets crumbs for snacks and is generally ignored. Thus, he's a stand-in for the masses who, with ruffled feathers, shuffle onto rival planes and experience the worst of air travel. "There's got to be a way to fly with a little respect. You know?" our hero asks at the end, as the tagline appears on screen.
The campaign breaks first in Boston, where JetBlue has the most daily nonstop flights of any carrier, and includes TV spots (running in 39 prime-time season premieres), online advertising, microsites, mobile, social, experiential and out-of-home advertising. Most intriguingly, JetBlue is also partnering with Mobile Theory on a voice activation unit that will teach consumers "how to speak pigeon on their smartphones."
There's also a digital experience and social hub called Central Perch, where you can send messages to friends through virtual carrier pigeons on Facebook. Meanwhile, check out the launch spot and credits below.
CREDITS
Client: JetBlue Airways
Spot: "Air on the Side of Humanity"
Agency: Mullen
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker
Executive Creative Director Tim Vaccarino
Executive Creative Director Dave Weist
Group Creative Director Dylan Bernd
Sr. Copywriter Jack Collier
Writers: Evelynne Scholnick, Nick Olish
Sr Art Director: Dan Madsen
Art Directors: Jay Spahr, Mauricio Perez, Kara Noble
Digital Designer: Scott Petrichko
SVP, Creative Technologist: Christian Madden
Creative Technologists: Dave Lee, Stefan Harris, Joe Palasek
Executive Director of Integrated Production: Liza Near
Head of Broadcast Zeke Bowman
Producer Vera Everson
Sr Digital Producer: Kim Ryan
Digital Producers: Heidi Laidlaw, Charley Perkins
Experience Designers: Hoon Oh
Group Account Director Drayton Martin
Account Director Jill Rugani
Account Supervisor Hannah Moore, Cece Wedel
Senior Account Executive Molly Barag
Assistant Account Executive Vish Chandawarkar
Animation Designer: Veronica Padilla
QA: Ryan Nelson
Copy Editors: Ashley Rumery, Eric Maus, Rebecca Rehbein
Strategic Digital Analysts: Steve Sandiford, May Liu
Sr Computer Artist Kathryn Lane
Project Manager Niha Reddy
Production Supervisor Mark Gardner
SVP Group Media Director Keith Lusby
VP Associate Media Director Chris McLaughlin
Senior Media Planner Lauren Atkins
Assistant Media Planner Charlie Weickert
VP Group Digital Media Director Jade Watts
Associated Digital Media Director Rachel Allen
Digital Media Supervisor Erin Kelly
Digital Media Planner Caroline Caterine
Account Director PR Jaclyn Ruelle
Account Supervisor PR Christina Simmons
Account Executive PR Arianna Rubinstein
SVP, Group Strategy Director Fredrik Sarnblad
Senior Planning Analyst Chris Plating
Senior Brand Strategist Lirra Schiebler
Production: Hungry Man
Director Hank Perlman
Executive Producer Mino Jarjoura
Producer Martha English
Director of Photography Tom Richmond
Editorial: P.S. 260
Producer Laura Lamb Patterson
Editor JJ Lask
Assistant Editor Colin Reilly, Joe Simmons
VFX: Brickyard
Executive Producer Kirsten Andersen
Lead VFX Artist Geoff McAuliffe, Jimi Simmons
Animation Director Anders Beer
CG: General Gau & Brickyard VFX
Executive Producer Kirsten Anderson
Music: Original Music by Human
Audio Post: Sound Lounge/Soundtrack
Sound Design/Mixer Tom Jucarone, Glen Landrum, Mike Secher