American Airlines' new ad campaign is spear-headed by their award-winning, flash interactive website that promotes their Business Class seating and its amenities.
When you go to the website, the user is asked to choose a language so that the user can view the site in his/her language. This main page is rather bland; it's more informational so it can get the user to the right place. However, once you click on the site, you are taken to the welcome page that shows a 3D photo of a Business Class seat with interactive icons swirling above it that represent the following categories of web pages within the Flagship site: Lounges, Entertainment, Work, Dine, Sleep, Wine, Relax. When the user clicks on an icon, the Business Class seat is disassembled into many pieces then re-assembled quickly while the user waits and views how quickly he/she is transported to the new setting. What the viewer is supposed to glean from this new environment is how quickly the traveler/user is transported to a new, comfortable destination within the Business Class seating environment and the wonderful amenities that the traveler will enjoy with a Business Class reservation.
Here are some of the page examples:
A Glass of Wine is a Beautiful Thing
When you click on the wine glass icon, it says now boarding while it loads the interactive page and says "A Glass of Wine is a Beautiful Thing." Then the page opens up to a virtual wine cellar/bar with music that makes you think you're in an upscale bar, yet the focal point is still the Business Class seat, which is placed in every scenario. On each page the sound button can be turned off. It's clever in that it tries to convey the new Flagship experience of American Airlines Business Class. When it transitions to each page, the business class seat is disassembled and re-assembled in each photo with flash. It's really cool and each page has interactive buttons that provide pop-up info about the menu or wine or recreation (depending on the page) or other interesting info for that web page.
For example, on the menu page, when you press on the button, info about the chef will pop up or when you press another button, a full menu of dinner items is shown.
Kick Back, Relax and Unwind
On this page, there are blue flash buttons that open up to relaxation tips. Another pop-up info screen talks about escaping with a movie or music or a novel, where you can use their acoustic Bose Quiet Comfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones. The sounds of the Relax page are birds and trickling water, and the water moves in the background (flash) to give it that virtual 3D effect.
Additionally, the site allows the user to upgrade to First Class. In the righ-hand corner, there is an upward arrow on which to click. After that you see:
You've been Upgraded. Welcome to First Class.
On this page, the user is transported to a First Class Seat and has the virtual experience of what it would be like to upgrade to First Class.
Here are some examples of the First Class pages:
Entertainment in First Class
In this section, we see a computer within a computer, flashing movies and various forms of visual entertainment that are available to first class passengers.
Wine and Dine in First Class
The user is taken to a virtual dining experience, complete with steam rising from the meal.
Overall, this is an interesting website, but I think there are a few things that could be made better. The First Class environment in this website is not as exciting as the Business Class pages. Although the First Class pages are a 3D interactive environment, it is clear that the target audience for this site is the Business Class traveler.
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