The article below from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx /--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight ------------\ THE CLEARING - IN THEATERS JULY 2 - WATCH THE TRAILER NOW An official selection of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, THE CLEARING stars ROBERT REDFORD and HELEN MIRREN as Wayne and Eileen Hayes - a husband and wife living the American Dream. Together they've raised two children and struggled to build a successful business from the ground up. But there have been sacrifices along the way. When Wayne is kidnapped by an ordinary man, Arnold Mack (WILLEM DAFOE), and held for ransom in a remote forest, the couple's world is turned inside out. Watch the trailer at: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/theclearing/index_nyt.html \----------------------------------------------------------/ Airlines Have New Campaigns April 30, 2004 By NAT IVES AS summer approaches and the air travel business recovers from its long doldrums, Madison Avenue has produced a crop of campaigns talking up its airline clients. The advertising varies widely in style and content, but all of it aims to fill seats in what could be the busiest travel season in several years. "Demand absolutely has returned and is continuing to grow," said Dennis Poynter, director for advertising at ATA Airlines, now running its first national brand campaign since changing its name from American Trans Air. "What you're seeing in the intensity by all the airlines, as the economy and travel economy continue to improve, is that everyone wants to increase their share." Robert W. Mann Jr., an airline industry consultant in Port Washington, N.Y., and a former airline marketing executive, agreed. "This summer we'll see passenger demand that will almost equal the summer of 2000," Mr. Mann said. "This summer will be a war over hearts and minds to see who can run closest to full." The airlines with new or revamped campaigns include Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Lufthansa, the Scandinavian Airlines System, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways. As one might expect in an industry that has seen so much change, the stakes are enormous. For instance, where American Airlines once flew the most passengers to and from Kennedy Airport in New York, JetBlue is now tops there, according to statistics provided by the airport. And in 2000, United Airlines had the most miles flown nationally by fare-paying passengers, called revenue passenger miles, with 126.9 billion, according to the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. JetBlue, then in its first year, did not crack the top 30 airlines ranked by revenue passenger miles. By last year, American had overtaken the top spot, with 120.3 billion revenue passenger miles, and JetBlue ranked 11th, at 11.5 billion. While many factors affect the ebb and flow of airline fortunes, the carriers clearly hope some good ads will go a long way. They spent $627.8 billion advertising in major media last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR. As JetBlue grew, for instance, company executives felt as if other low-fare airlines were trying to copy the JetBlue brand voice. "We thought it could get confusing to consumers," said Amy Curtis-McIntyre, vice president for sales and marketing. "We decidedly sought separation from where the pack was going." But a legion of travelers has already taken to the JetBlue upstart brand personality, said Paul Cappelli, chief executive at the Ad Store in New York, the JetBlue agency. "As a brand begins to mature, even as young as JetBlue is, how do we keep this brand special for consumers?" The new campaign, with a budget estimated at $16 million to $18 million, tries to answer that question with the theme, "We like you, too." New print and outdoor ads were produced, while commercials from last year were updated to include the new theme. The ATA Airlines division of ATA Holdings romances consumers in a way that is not so different from the original JetBlue pitch, stressing simplicity and comfort. Commercials appearing nationally show montages of attractive travelers and aircraft, all set to a song including the words, "Go easy, go ATA." That theme, created by Romani Brothers in Chicago, is infused throughout television and radio commercials, airport displays and print ads. The campaign budget was not disclosed, but ATA spent roughly $37 million in local and regional advertising last year. While some carriers' campaigns play for affection and peace of mind, others brag about features. SAS, as the Scandinavian Airlines System is known, has begun a print and radio campaign to introduce a new class of seating on its aircraft called Economy Extra, which will offer 30 percent more room than coach. The SAS agency, Needleman, Drossman & Partners in New York, created a campaign to show that roominess matters by running some print ads in small sizes and others with a lot of white space. But two overseas heavyweights with trans-Atlantic flights are also running new campaigns. Lufthansa, in ads created by Gotham in New York, and British Airways, in a campaign by M&C Saatchi in London and the iTraffic division of Agency.com, are promoting features like seats that recline entirely flat, preflight meals that allow passengers to go directly to sleep and high-speed Internet access in seats. Agency.com is part of the Omnicom Group. Other carriers are fighting for turf. After Southwest Airlines said two weeks ago that it was considering adding more flights from Philadelphia International Airport, US Airways decided to begin a counterattack, said B. Ben Baldanza, senior vice president for marketing and planning. "As our key Northeast hub, we will not let other carriers poach our customers and steal our revenue," Mr. Baldanza said. To that end, US Airways is simplifying and lowering its fares, which it will advertise via a sprawling campaign that will include "guerilla" activities like buying gasoline for random drivers at the pump and going into office buildings to offer free massages. The campaign was created by Eisner Communications in Baltimore. United Airlines, part of the UAL Corporation, began its first big campaign in five years in March in anticipation of its emergence from bankruptcy protection this summer. The campaign drops the previous theme, "United Rising." The new commercials, which are animated, feature the voice of Robert Redford. "United," Mr. Redford says at the end of the spots, which were developed by Fallon Worldwide in Minneapolis, part of the Publicis Groupe, "It's time to fly." Executives there certainly hope so. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/30/business/media/30adco.html?ex=1084332323&ei=1&en=ca28891492cfef1f --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here: http://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/SubscriptionT1.do?mode=SubscriptionT1&ExternalMediaCode=W24AF HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company