SkiftAds of the Week: Momondo, VivaAerobus, American Airlines, and SAS Airlines

Skift Take

The majority of ads today are in English targeting the widest audience possible and giving it the opportunity to go viral, but native-language ads give us a closer look at advertising inside other countries.

-Samantha Shankman

This week’s roundup of videos ads from travel brands around the world features fewer American companies than usual, plus two ads in foreign languages.

The ads we cover are often international companies with English-language videos that attempt to appeal to the largest audience possible, but this look at native-language ads showcases how culture clearly influences the design and look of the ad.

For all of our SkiftAds of the Week collection, check out our archives here.

These video ads from Danish travel search site Momondo are of the hauntingly beautiful type. The ads compile images of fresh-faced travelers in a series of situations that can be perceived as festive or worrisome. The voiceover positions travel as the key to connecting with one another.

“We are the true freedom fighters. We come from everywhere. We believe in everything. We are open to everyone. Travel is our weapon. Connecting is our strategy. This is our home. Welcome to our world.”

Mexico’s low-cost carrier VivaAerobus really wants to show travelers how Carnaval-friendly it is. The safety instructions, in Spanish, alert passengers to the beads and party masks below their seats, the dancing space between the aisles, and where to find the drums and maracas. If only more airline ads were this much fun.

The first American Airlines ad featuring its new livery and logo is, to say the least, dramatic, but it also shares a really strong message of confidence that we can only hope the airline delivers as it emerges from bankruptcy in the coming months.

“There is a change in the air. Things feel different, new, better. And tomorrow they’ll be better still. Inspired by our past but inspired by our future, we are becoming a new American.”

Here’s what SAS Scandinavian Airlines’ ads look like if you’re actually in Scandinavia. We can’t tell you much about the ad except that the end text translates into “With a Sweden timetable, [you're] always just home.” Understand the ads? Let us know in the comments!


Follow @samshankman

  • Marco

    Translations of the SAS ads:
    Number 1: SAS chickenpox

    Hi! It’s Hanna from the daycare centre.
    Well, Klara is a little ill.
    It started a while ago.
    She’s sitting next to me, the poor thing.

    With Sweden’s best time table, it’s always close to home.
    Book and rebook at SAS.se

    Number 2: SAS the neighbor

    Hi Mats!
    It seems your daughter is going to have a party.
    They’re probably going to be around 30-40 persons, I think.
    And I don’t recognize any of them.
    I’ve never seen them before.

    With Sweden’s best time table, it’s always close to home.
    Book and rebook at SAS.se

  • Samantha Shankman

    Ha! Thank you, Marco! The ads are even better now that I can fully understand them.

Subscribe to a daily dose of news from Skift