Expert Criticizes New Southwest Airlines Commercial

Southwest Airlines celebrated a significant change in a recent commercial, but one expert was not necessarily a fan of the tone of the new ad.

In a recent commercial announcing the airline's shift away from its longstanding open seating policy to an assigned seating model, Southwest Airlines took a rather jovial and celebratory tone in the ad featuring scenes of rucuous celebration, including people leaping over tables, doing high kicks in the street, and dancing in a public fountain.

“That over-the-top celebratory nature was important—people going crazy about news that didn’t seem that new to the world,” Southwest Airlines director of brand and content Julia Melle told Adweek.

“The tone [of the spot] had to be tongue-in-cheek—anything else would have felt off brand,” added Bill Bayne, group creative director at GSD&M. “This is a brand that’s been doing its own way of seat selection for years, so we knew it was important to show that we ‘get it.’ So we used humor and a healthy dose of self-awareness. As Herb Kelleher said, ‘We take our competition seriously, not ourselves.’”

However, not everyone was a fan of the new ad.

Ian Baer, founder and CEO of marketing intelligence company Sooth, offered some criticism as he pointed out that many consumers are not all that happy with the recent changes, particularly the decision to end free checked bags.

“This is a charming, bouncy spot—but I wish it were coming from a brand other than Southwest,” Baer told Adweek. “It lands more like: ‘We’re not like other airlines. We’re a cool airline! Except… now we’re just like the others.’”

Baer thinks that the ad may be a bit tone-deaf and might not land with consumers the way Southwest Airlines hopes it will.

He points out that “taking beloved benefits away from loyal customers isn’t a topic for musical comedy.

We'll have to see what customers ultimately think about the ad.