Best Travel Ads This Week: How to Make Buses Cool and Commuters Friendly

This week’s travel ads range from straightforward messages to surprising endings.

United asks frequent flyers why they stick with the airline and Air France looks back on its 80-year history. There are also more creative ads from a Swedish company that makes a bus look as cool as a sports car and New Zealand’s transport agency that turns angry drivers into cartoons.

FOR ALL OF OUR SKIFTADS OF THE WEEK COLLECTION, CHECK OUT OUR ARCHIVES HERE.

It’s no coincidence that this new ad from Swedish public transport company Västtrafik sets up the video like its promoting a sports car. The ad was created to target car commuters and entice them to use a free two-week trial of the bus system.

The video ends with a surprise as a large blue bus — not a Mustang — comes rolling out of a tunnel. It’s intense, captures viewers’ attention, and its beautifully shot.

United Airlines rolled out a series of new videos this week that let a diverse group of frequent flyers explain why they trust and return to the airline. From entrepreneurs to rock stars, the customers tout United’s global network of destinations, quality service, and reliability.

Ibis Hotels‘ new TV ad promotes the recently introduced Ibis Business card. The card gives users 10 percent off room rates, meals, and drinks in an effort to boost loyalty among guests.

In this ad, a business card is sexier than expensive luggage or a tailored suit. Ibis has a habit of frequently pushing out short creative TV ads with adorable bunnies on a bed, travelers that sleep in cars, and staff shenanigans.

Air France celebrates 80 years of operation with this creative mashup that compares past and present pilots, flight attendants, and passengers. The changes are fascinating to watch, because air travel is so different and yet still so similar to the early days.

New Zealand Transport Agency launched a digital campaign this October to promote road safety and driver awareness. The Drive Social campaign is based on the idea that people behave differently in cars than other social settings because they think they are alone.

The campaign’s website asks for drivers’ photos and details of their daily commute to find connections and similarities between the drivers. The above ad will air on New Zealand TV channels as part of the campaign. The campaign was created by creative agency Clemenger BBDO.