“The Biggest Outdoor Media in the World”
Ad-Air is negotiating with major airports in the US, Europe, and Asia to place 5-acre ads where passengers in airplanes can see them as they take off and land.
While the advertising company’s website boasts it as “ground breaking,” I’m sure its no surprise to any of us. TVs in the back of airplane seats are becoming almost standard, running ads before and during many of their in-flight features. The people in airplanes can afford to travel, and hey, they’re not going anywhere. Now, ads are going to invade that very special time when seats are brought to their full and upright position and TVs need to be switched off, and there’s not much else to do but look out the window. It was only a matter of time before someone tapped into that slim margin of opportunity.
And just wait a few years; another company will probably do one better--or bigger.
It’s also interesting to note that they’re not looking to sprawl advertisements alongside Canadian runways just yet.
Original source: Calgary Herald
Disney’s America--Very Friendly
Disney has developed a video to make entering the US feel more friendly. Featuring US landmarks and smiling Americans saying, “Welcome,” the brief movie is to be played in consular offices and US customs areas of several airports. The project was conceived after a decline in tourism was noted following 9/11, presumably due to the feeling of mistrust among Americans towards foreigners. This film is supposed to make visitors to the US feel wanted and accepted.
It is interesting that they expect seven minutes of footage set to music to be so powerful as to circumvent such deep-seated, visceral emotions. And who else but Disney could hope to make the process of traveling into the US more pleasant? The video reflects a lot of that same “old time America” discussed in class regarding Disneyland and Celebration, Florida--which is certainly not reality anywhere in the world.
(Maybe they should just try training customs agents to smile... )
See the video, “Welcome: Portraits of America” here.
Original source: Calgary Herald
Chelsea Schulz
(Sorry they’re both travel related. Blame it on the day job.)
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What a funny video, I have to say that if it's the American identity they were after they got it bang on. Out of 7 minutes and 34 seconds there was only 8 seconds of footage that incorporated people of different races in the same shot, I suppose I’m not shocked, but for a film geared towards making people from foreign places feel welcome, there is a sense of segregation, that’s the first thing that I noticed. The second thing is that not once was there a man featured in the film that was of obvious middle eastern ethnicity, I hope that was a mistake because I’m sure that men from the middle east live in America, why aren't they in the video? I don’t think that that would have anything to do with 9/11 or the discrimination that was brought against all people that are of “middle eastern origin”. It’s a little like saying that all white people living in the 1940’s were Nazi’s, can you imagine the out rage?
-marta gorski
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