The Persuaders

Today in media studies class, we watched the beginning half of a PBS special entitled "The Persuaders" (link to documentary website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/). I found this to be a rather thought-provoking documentary in that it gives an advertiser's perspective towards the different advertisements that bombard us everyday.
Specifically, I thought the example presented within the documentary of Song Airlines to be quite intriguing because of its advertising strategy. It was explained that Song was the result of Delta's idea to create a company that is removed from the (unpopular) Delta name. However, according to the documentary, the focus of the Song Airlines ad campaign is designed by an individual named Andy Spade. Now, Mr. Spade has some interesting ideas on how to engineer Song Airlines' ad campaign; he is busy creating a lifestyle that would appeal to customers (especially women) that would set Song Airlines apart from its competitors. I personally can attest that one of Song's competitors, Jet Blue, seems to be more of a "cool" company, with flat screen TVs in their terminals (at Boston Logan) and other gimmicks that are pleasing to the consumer's eye. Naturally, it seems that Song is trying to imitate this concept, except that, as was presented in the documentary, Song is pushing it to the next level by portraying the company itself as an easy-going lifestyle choice instead of a corporation.
I feel that while this advertising strategy is interesting, I predict it will fail. The documentary made an explicit point that fares and airplanes are not even mentioned in the television-based advertisements. Images of hip people in front of visually stunning backdrops seem to be the way Song has decided to go. However, people in the documentary did not know that Song was even an airline. I understand in the corporate world it is important to break away from competitors, and one of the methods of doing so is by selling an image. Apple does this among other companies. Furthermore, I do not feel that the commercial travel industry has this cultural potential, simply because of what it is: travel. Frankly, sitting on a plane for several hours is boring no matter how kaleidoscopic the colors of the headrests are. A corporation needs advertising to promote its message to the people; however, I feel Song Airlines specifically will face a conundrum in that, to the passengers sitting on the plane, its just another boring plane ride.