There’s a seat waiting for you
July 7, 2008
As I puttered up the Jones Falls recently (with my windows up, I assure you), I noticed what is perhaps the least persuasive billboard in the history of all I-83 advertisements. The sign, which looms over the expressway just south of Cold Spring Lane, depicts a roller coaster barreling down a near-vertical drop, with three out of the car’s four front seats occupied by screaming patrons. The fourth seat, however, is open, and presumably, yours for the taking, given the ad’s block letter slogan: “There’s a seat waiting for you.”
Why, might you ask, do I find this ad so flawed? Sure, it entices me to hop a bus to Six Flags and spend my afternoon experiencing the chills and thrills of The Joker’s Jinx. What the billboard does NOT beguile me to do, however, is take an AirTran flight that, if I have inferred anything at all from the advertisement, might feel a little like plummeting to my death on a rickety, metal structure.
Don’t get me wrong: AirTran is my premier airline selection. With 16 nonstop destinations from BWI, AirTran’s convenience and consistently low prices can rarely be beat on a new college grad’s budget. But what genius in its marketing department thought comparing a flight on AirTran to a roller coaster would be a wise decision? It may just be me, but I prefer my flights to feel a little less like Space Mountain and a little more like the Monorail.
ANNE RILEY, Business Writer
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