Southwest Airlines Responds To Air New Zealand’s Challenge … prepare to laugh

14/12/2009 –  Southwest Airlines Responds To Air New Zealand’s Challenge … prepare to laugh

Lets rewind three months to an unusual moment in airline marketing history when Air New Zealand challenged Southwest Airlines to ‘take it off’ in a public video, which I wrote about here – 15/09/2009 – Air New Zealand Calls Out Southwest Airlines To “Take It Off”

Today Southwest Airlines, in true Southwest Airlines spirit, responded to Air New Zealand’s challenge. Air New Zealand challenge came from two flight attendants wearing nothing but body paint, Southwest’s reply came from two rapping flight attendants and their nearly 79 year old co-founder preparing to shed his clothes to meet the challenge.

I find it quite enjoyable to watch two airlines that cannot be more different in many ways shed the traditional forms of marketing and just ‘be who they are.’ Many passengers see airlines as all the same, while in fact they tend to have their own ‘personalities’ driven by corporate culture.

For a good laugh click watch Air New Zealand throwing out its challenge to Southwest Airlines then click the image below to launch Southwest’s reply.

On a related note, this week the mastermind driving force behind much of Southwest Airlines’ forward thinking innovation in emerging media leaves the airline. Paula Berg who had the foresight to push her company into the emerging media powerhouse they are today has left to take a related position at a leading public relations firm…which happens to also be the PR firm for Southwest Airlines.

Happy Flying Paula!