FractionalFocus - Blog

Those of us in the advertising business are hypersensitive to cliché’s and stereotypes. That’s because most of the bad advertising out there hangs on one or both. Unfortunately, clichés and stereotypes abound in fractional jet advertising.If you’ve been exploring fractional jet ownership, you’ve seen plenty of these tired old images, for sure: shiny, spotless planes on shiny, spotless tarmacs; parent-of-the-year types cheering their children on at soccer games that they were able to make because of their fractional jet; business people happily closing deals allegedly so big you wonder how they could possibly fit on a private plane.

With this in mind, we are drawn to the current Flight Options campaign because it shies away from the easy images and ideas.

By the way, if you’re wondering why we’re evaluating ads on this site, it’s driven largely by my interest in fractional ownership, but also in part because I own and run an advertising agency called Barefoot. That makes me unusually attuned to what messages they’re communicating, and/or trying to communicate.

The ads in the Flight Options campaign each feature a small, tightly-cropped visual of people on a private jet. The artwork surrounding the image is a direct play off the Flight Options logo, subtly (and nicely) suggesting that the company wraps its customers in attention and comfort. The actual logo appears at the bottom of the page, with the tagline: “We give you more.”

The ads are headline driven, meaning it’s the headline more than the imagery that provides its central thought. One reads: Why we’d make terrible teenagers: We always listen.” Another reads; “Why we’d make terrible bank tellers: We give you more than you expect.” And yet another reads: “Why’d we make terrible barbeque chefs: We believe everything should be well done.” The point is, of course, that Flight Options not only listens well to its customers, but really delivers when it comes to service. The body copy gives us a nod to these extras, such as the company’s Fractional First program that promises more flight hours per share than any other provider. To learn more, you can call them or visit their website.

All in all, the promise is a strong–and attractive–one to make. Fractional jets cost a lot of money, so it’s comforting to hear a provider hang their hat on their ability to listen - and respond to your needs after the sale. The ads are clean and simple, just what you’d expect from a company focused on quality service.

In short, we find this campaign convincing.