BA chooses Cunning to handle US fly-drive promotion

LONDON – Guerilla marketing agency Cunning is set to launch an American-themed outdoor campaign for British Airways Travel Shop to push its 2005 US and Canadian brochure.

To promote the fly-drive holidays and give people a sense of American adventure, cheerleaders, cowgirls and Native Americans will visit famous shopping sites in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh to drive traffic to BA Travel Shops.

Supporting the street-based activity is a fully BA-branded 1940s Cadillac, which will cruise around town centres encouraging people to plan their own American road trip.

It is part of a wider campaign organised by direct marketing agency Lida called "DIY USA", which has also run in press and through direct mail.

The first activity takes place on November 11 and November 12 in Manchester and London respectively, followed the next week by Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The launch focuses on British Airways Holidays American fly-drives, which allow customers to select and combine all elements of their holiday to produce their own personal road trip.

So far this year, Cunning has promoted the BA Clubworld sleeper service and the BA Holidays "I Love Gatwick" promotion, created by M&C Saatchi.

In 2003, Cunning created and executed The Beach Event in Covent Garden on behalf of BA, securing Kylie for the photocall.

More famously Cunning PR, formerly known as Cunning Stunts, was behind the FHM campaign that saw Gail Porter's naked photograph projected on to the Houses of Parliament.

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