Hamburg, January 2017: At the start of the main travel booking period for 2017, TRACK’s Berlin team developed a TV commercial for airberlin to get business off to a flying start. It was based on the successful “The Smart Alternative” campaign that TRACK developed along with the illustrator Noma Bar. This was the last project to be realized by the agency at the end of a nine-year collaboration with the airline. TRACK decided against competing in the latest pitch for the airberlin account, which will now be handled by another agency.
With Noma Bar’s minimal iconography and delightfully ambiguous images, the campaign provided unusual points of view. The ads established a playful association between this intriguing imagery and airberlin’s products and services, which are just as surprising as the artist’s illustrations.
The campaign featured a 25-second promotional film, which first aired on December 27, 2016. This was then replaced by a shorter, 15-second version at the beginning of 2017. Both versions could be seen on TV and online. The video clips were accompanied by online banners and digital, out-of-home ads. The animation was provided by Ale Pixel, and in keeping with the imagery, the song “You and me” was specially composed in a 1960s style by ZWEI Music.
“The warm, friendly, and attentive service – as well as its surprisingly good products – helps make airberlin “The Smart Alternative.” Noma Bar’s designs and the laid-back song take viewers on a subtle and unexpected little journey,” commented Stefanie Zimmermann, Creative Director at TRACK, Berlin.
