Friday, July 27, 2007
Ted: my kind of airline
I flew through Chicago today on my way home to Cincinnati, and got my first taste of Ted, United's newish spinoff. The verdict? It's a bold, captivating start down the path towards recreating the air travel experience.The branding at the terminal was surprisingly fresh and engaging. I'd seen some of their print and online ads, but hadn't ever actually flown on the airline. First of all, the name "Ted" was a stroke of genius. Like BP's new branding, it puts a more human, accessible, and friendly face on the airline (something the industry as a whole is in dire need of), while still subtlely recalling the United name. Well done. It's all reinforced with nice environmental graphics that say things like "Ted's the name, smiles the game" and "Chicago is Ted's kind of town." The typography is just Helvetica 85 in white over solid yellow backgrounds, but I think that works, given the brand's down-to-earth, approachable, and straightforward character.
A few free-standing signs reminded everybody that "Ted is part of United." At first I thought this was too much, too obvious, but after thinking about it further, I realized that it's a great solution. They need United for the credibility that brand brings to the table, and they need to tie Ted to United somehow. Like the environmental graphics, these signs that simply state the facts are a great way to reinforce the character of the brand: why make it more complex than it needs to be? That kind of transparency is a welcome change of pace.
I'm excited to see some of these huge, old-school companies like BP and United begin to embrace more informal, fun, and accessible branding. The next generation of consumers responds best to this kind of communication. They're tired of stilted, phony, branding and marcom. They're engaged by brands that treat them as peers, with no hype, overstatement, or overt sales pitch. Ted is the beginning of an airline that fits into their world.
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