Best Travel Ads This Week: Making Fees and Uncomfortable Seats Look Fun

A marketer’s job is to make the ugly parts of business look beautiful to the consumer — whether it be easyJet’s very basic service or Jetstar‘s more expensive new packages.

This week’s travel ads look at the creative ways four airlines and one train company make even the most mundane parts of travel look fun.

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EasyJet’s new ad campaign identifies a new generation of flyers who prefer low costs over comfort. “Generation easyJet” includes everyone from young hippies to business professionals to old men in bow ties. The video’s upbeat song, quick pace, and pretty display of faces almost let viewers forget the reality of the product it is promoting. But, hey, at least it’s not Ryanair.

French rail operator SNCF uses this creative ambient ad to promote its lowest rates for high-speed service. SNCF filled a large glass tank with insects and small price labels in Paris’ Gare de Lyon train station. Travelers then used a joystick to control microscopes inside the tank and get a close-up of the bugs and the tiny price tags. The ad was created by global ad agency TBWA.

Air New Zealand pushes its low-fee rewards credit card in this comical new ad. A man hesitates to swipe his card knowing that a Kiwi will start strumming his ukulele in anticipation of the man’s next trip. The straight forward Airpoints promotion is smartly executed by being quick, kind of funny, and to the point.

Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar uses a really cute ad to position its new package with bundled fees in the best light possible. Jetstar Plus Bundle gives flyers the flexibility to change the day and time of their bookings — for an extra cost. Jetstar says it’s creating smarter ways for people to travel, but the real creativity is this ad campaign that might make flyers actually want to pay more.

Singapore Airlines highlights its commitment to high-quality comfort, cuisine, and entertainment in its latest ad. The iconic Singapore Girl tastes teas, feels fabrics, and watches movie-goers’ reactions to find the perfect fit for Singapore’s flyers.

“We search for what’s special, for what lifts an experience to another level. And that unspoken feeling doesn’t happen by chance. So no matter what changes, this commitment holds true. We’ll find what truly matters to make you feel at home.”