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British Airways makes a colourful announcement
Hoardings displaying colourful 'rangolis' announce British Airways' new route from Hyderabad to 22 cities in North America
A colourful 'rangoli' in the shape of a map of the US on a large hoarding will definitely grab your attention. And that’s how British Airways is announcing the launch of its new routes from Hyderabad to 22 cities in North America.
The colourful outdoor campaign in Hyderabad uses a uniquely Indian creative. A ‘rangoli’ is a traditional form of floor decoration created with vibrantly coloured rice powder, usually at the time of a wedding or a festival.
In this campaign, the ‘rangoli’ picture of the US allows the illustration of the destination in a way that is both striking and relevant to the local audience. The accompanying copy in the creative reads ‘Celebrating Flights from Hyderabad to 22 Cities in North America’.
The campaign was executed by Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) Asia Pacific. David Webster, account director, BBH Asia Pacific, tells afaqs!, “The creative strategy for the campaign was the celebration of a new route for British Airways, using a traditional and recognisable art form that is used during Indian celebrations. We thought commissioning a ‘rangoli’ would capture the right spirit of India.”
The detail in the art work includes a peacock – the national bird of India – and various circular and symmetrical patterns and designs specific to Hyderabad. The artwork was specially commissioned from the renowned Singapore based ‘rangoli’ artist, Vijaya Mohan, who has won a slew of awards, including a Guinness World Record for the largest ‘rangoli’, for her creations.
The Hyderabad route complements the five routes that British Airways already operates in India from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. Daniel Lloyd, marketing and communications manager, British Airways, says, “The objective of the campaign is to increase British Airways' brand presence in Hyderabad prior to the route launch on December 7. We are excited that BBH's creative idea will enable us to do this in a unique and relevant way.”
The outdoor campaign is backed by print media. The team that worked on the campaign includes copywriters Peter Callaghan and Zayed Siddique, art director Rashid Salleh, and the account servicing team of David Webster, Lesley-Ann John, Nicole Ong and planner Kelsey Hodgkin from BBH UK. The media agency is ZO, UK, and the media planner is Maya Epstein. The retouching of the ad has been done by Cactus Studio.