Face
British Airways1989
Face is a 1989 90-second television and cinema commercial for British Airways, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, London.
The line
The world's favourite airline.
Why it works
Thousands of schoolchildren in coloured costumes, filmed from helicopters over Utah, assemble into a winking eye, an ear, lips — and finally a smiling human face that becomes the globe, while a voiceover notes that "every year, the world's favourite airline brings 24 million people together." Directed by Chariots of Fire's Hugh Hudson with the choreographer of the 1984 LA Olympics ceremonies, pitched to BA as a crumpled pencil sketch, and made for about £1m, it was seen by an estimated 600 million people in 70 countries. It is studied as the apex of the 1980s corporate mega-spot: scale itself as the message, a literal visualization of the brand claim, with no aircraft shown until Concorde's roar at the end.
Techniques
- Bandwagon Thousands of people assemble into one smiling face while the voiceover counts millions brought together, literally picturing the claim to be the world's favourite.
- Pathos A human face that becomes the globe sells warmth and togetherness rather than seats, with no aircraft shown until the very end.
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