Great Britons

British Airways is the largest international airline in the world, carrying more international passengers than any of its competitors. In 2018 over 44 million passengers flew on 499,000 British Airways' international scheduled services. That is the equivalent of 80 passengers checking in every minute, 24 hours a day, and a British Airways flight taking off and landing every 90 seconds.

The acrimonious cabin crew dispute causing 22 days of strikes in 2011 cost the airline £150m and disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers. CEO Keith Williams recognized BA needed to ‘rebuild the brand’ and positive perception in eyes of the public.

As a main sponsor and official airline partner of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, BA wanted to show support for the country’s ‘Great Britons’ and to ‘Help British talent take off, to celebrate both the sporting and cultural side of the London 2012 Games,’ said British Airways’ Head of Brand and Marketing, Abigail Comber.

The Games, which symbolise the achievements of the very best athletes, were the perfect venue to showcase Great Britons and inspire others to achieve greatness in their field.

As a Senior Art Director at Agency.com I was asked to translate the creative strategy behind The BA Great Britons programme led by BBH, into the online space.

How do you inspire greatness? This was the starting point for me to explore not only what motivates people, but also how they measure success. Beyond commitment and dedication, there was a pattern: the constant reaching for new goals and achieving targets. This seemed to be as true for a sportsman timing track runs, as it was for a writer editing a script.

I believed there was a need to capture this process over time and then publicize it as material to inspire others. Because by seeing what others achieve, we could be encouraged to share our own achievements and aspirations to be great.

The ‘Great Britons’ programme was a 3-month TV, Digital and Press campaign showing how British Airways was supporting British talent. My ambitious proposal was to enlist the help of five outstanding performers across the sports and cultural spectrum to mentor a promising student on an ambitious project. By showcasing this process of development, we aimed to inspire a generation of others to start their own journey to success, that could live on beyond the Games.

The online community website www.ba.com/greatbritons (no longer live) was centred around the working relationship between the different mentors and protégés. It included visualizations of the paths the mentors took to greatness, as well as the creative development of the protégés over time.

Built around this spectacle was a community of peers who could create their own future and help the development of others, with the central message ‘You can be great too’.

As a participant, you could define goals and set up timelines, while closely monitoring the protégés’ progress against yours. Like the rings that grow in the trunk of a tree, it would become a history of your journey and a tangible measure of your progress.

These lines and journeys also inspired the visual design. I was consciously moving away from the over-engineered design language that characterised so much British design in style and attitude at the time.

The BA Great Britons programme offered career-defining opportunities for members of the public to collaborate with Heston Blumenthal, Richard E Grant and Tracey Emin on a creative project in the run up to the London 2012 Games.

Invitations appeared in print and online with the headline ‘We can help your talent fly’. Aspiring chefs, scriptwriters and artists were invited to apply at www.ba.com/greatbritons (not live) and the winners would receive a one-to-one mentoring from the stars—a launchpad to greatness.

Under the tutelage of Heston Blumenthal, Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone created a three-course menu that was served on British Airways flights during the summer, and at an Olympics-themed pop-up venue created by Cake. This was a gallery and cinema space called Flight BA2012 in Shoreditch, London, which showcased the work produced through the airline’s Great Britons programme. Resembling a plane’s interior, it accommodated 54 diners who ate in a gently curved cabin, as computer-generated cloud wafted past its airplane windows.

The winner in the film category, Prasanna Puwanarajah, received mentoring from actor, scriptwriter and director Richard E Grant to write a short film. The film was called BOY, and told the story of a father’s tribute to his cyclist son, who was killed in a crash.

It was broadcast to millions of customers on board British Airways flights in the run-up to the Games, and featured in the pre-show of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Artist-designer Pascal Anson, working under the guidance of Tracey Emin, had his Olympics-inspired ‘Dove’ design wrapped onto nine British Airways planes, including livery, and his artwork was put display in Flight BA2012 pop-up venue.

The airline’s sponsorship of the London 2012 Games was found to have a positive impact on the brand. Research from Millward Brown found a 30 per cent increase in customers inclined to fly with the airline, and a 20 per cent increase in brand bonding (emotional brand connection).

British Airways received two awards in the BT Sports Industry Awards for its role as official airline partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Best Live Experience and Best Sponsorship of a Sports Event.

In 2012, British Airways was voted fourth Superbrand and second Business Superbrand in the annual awards. This is the highest ranking the airline has received, and was attributed to the success of the London 2012 Games partnership.

Abigail Comber, British Airways’ Head of Brands and Marketing, said: ‘We’re absolutely thrilled to be recognised for our contribution to the London 2012 Games, especially at such a prestigious awards ceremony. We’re proud to have been involved in the Games, to show the world Britain at its best.’