Risky game for British Airways

I love a good commercial, and with viewers flocking to their screens for events such as the Euros and the Olympics this summer, it's gonna be a bumper year for advertising agencies. Companies are putting big amounts of money on the table to get a slice of the precious minutes of screen time available for advertisers.

Which is why I was a little confused at the new British Airways advert released this week, which urges the British public to stay at home this summer and enjoy what's on in their local area and in London.

The one minute long ad sees a British Airways plane 'drive' around London, passing all the iconic sites, before reaching a halt outside the Olympic stadium.

Ultimately, the motive behind the campaign must lie behind the sponsorship deal British Airways has for the Olympics. It's an Official Partner for the London 2012 Games, and will heavily benefit from the games, one presumes.

Maybe then, one could presume that British Airways are benefiting from new advertising campaign, maybe from the government? They would have paid millions of pounds into the London 2012 Olympic Games, so why would they risk losing more money by promoting families to stay at home and not use their planes? I'm not suggesting what they're doing is wrong, in fact I think it's right of them to promote the UK during this special year. But British Airways is a business, and business doesn't play nice - which makes me think they're getting something in return for this deal.

Who knows, all I know is that the advert and the intense advertising campaign surrounding it (British Airways is using both Facebook and Twitter to promote their new campaign) must have cost them a lot of money to pull off. Time will tell when they release their end-of-year revenue figures early next year.

You can watch the advertising campaign here. You can also check out their Facebook page and Twitter too.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

Open Journalism: The Guardian deliberates

It is quite uncommon for an advert to leave me speechless. Most are only appealing because they are teasing us into buying a certain product, watching a certain programme or drinking a certain drink. But a recent scroll through YouTube brought me across a real gem of a commercial. One that not only appealed to my desired profession, but also made me think about my future, and the role of our society.

The Guardian newspaper, it is fair to say, has revolutionised itself in the last few years. Groundbreaking reports, a focus on every aspect of the news - from celebrity to foreign affairs - and a greater convergence of all media sources. If I was to name just one of its many successful stories, without a doubt I would suggest its uncovering of the phone-hacking story has shaken, stirred and part-destroyed the newspaper industry, and changed the face of journalism as it is known today.

Critics might call this a blatant promotional trailer for a news organisation which is now second in readership to the new and highly popular I Paper, but I see it as a dedication. The Guardian has dedicated itself to reporting high-quality, ground-breaking news stories to the public, and is dedicated to us the way the Queen is dedicated to her country. Rather than pressing on the current flaws in our badly-damaged press industry, it looks to the future. An integration between newspaper and internet, the latter of which it views with a pinch of salt, suggesting it is a good thing, rather than something to be worried about, as many old, tedious media-types often see it as.

In fact, The Guardian has coined the phrase 'Open Journalism' to describe its new image. Editor Alan Rusbridger leads the campaign for Open Journalism, describing journalism today as a very active process, rather than readers being "passive participants" of Journalism. He reveals that The Guardian hopes to interact more with audiences, using apps, widgets, social networking sites and links to help appeal to new, more diverse audiences.

Whether you read The Guardian or not, it is really worth watching this video to make your own opinions on the state of journalism today, and how journalism might be perceived in the future. Please comment below, I am interested in what others have to think on this subject.

The Guardian 'Open Journalism' Advert 2012

You can also read more on what The Guardian has to say on Open Journalism by following the link. There is also the opportunity for members of the public to go and visit The Guardian offices in a series of workshops at the end of March. After visiting the offices last year on work experience, it was simply breathtaking to see the news rooms and facilities that make The Guardian such a world-class news company. Well worth a visit.

Pictures Courtesy of Google Images