Barefoot Ad Analysis: Hawker 4000
An important means of evaluating fractional jet providers is by reviewing the types of aircraft in their fleets. As such, among the ads we study here at Fractional Jets Focus are those from manufacturers. An ad for the Hawker 4000 recently caught our attention.
As the owner of an advertising agency and a long-time student of advertising, I have seen companies large and small make several common errors. One of these is making your intended target work too hard to get the point. This ad for Hawker 4000, while better than most in this category, makes this mistake.
The ad features a businessman peering out of the window of his private jet onto a tarmac where he sees the Hawker 4000, with eight business people, and their luggage, waiting to board. The businessman has his hand to the window, as if wanting to reach out and touch the Hawker and wanting to reassure himself that he is not dreaming as he gazes upon this “magnificent aircraft.”
The headline reads: “The world’s finest super-midsize business jet is also the world’s most desired.” (BTW…Isn’t it a tad redundant to suggest that the “world’s finest” private jet is also the “world’s most desired”?)
We finally get to the heart of the matter in the body copy, which begins: “Of course this magnificent aircraft can carry eight passengers in stand-up, stretch-out comfort.”
So the ad is touting the Hawker’s size and comfort. That’s a good thing, because the benefits of private flight can wear thin if you have to fly with your knees to your chest. Comfort is no small matter. However, our suggestion would be to demonstrate the benefits of a larger aircraft more directly, perhaps by showing people on the plane, with ample room to stand and stretch. Don’t show me someone who is experiencing plane envy, make me jealous of those folk on the larger, comfier plane.
The body copy goes on to talk about how the Hawker is CEO-pleasing because the aircraft can visit three cities in a single day or even cross the continent. While a nice reminder of the benefits of private flying, this added benefit—one that holds true of virtually every private jet—only detracts from the main message of comfort and capacity.
