EasyJet Plc, Europes second-biggest discount courier, announced that it is launching a new advertising campaign in the U.K. today which will be the first in its history to target business travellers.
The campaign, dubbed “Business Sense” comes at a cost of £8.5m and will feature the voice of “House” star Hugh Laurie. It will be first aired on U.K. TV, which will be complemented with a print, outdoor and digital campaign and will extend into Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Portugal and Switzerland throughout September and October.
The company said the ads aim to highlight to business travellers the advantages of flying with easyJet, with more than a fifth of easyJets total passengers now travelling on business.
“This is the first time we have chosen to advertise to business travellers on TV and it is indicative of the importance we place on this key and growing market for us,” Peter Duffy, Commercial Director for easyJet, commented in the companys statement. “We know business passengers are attracted to easyJet because of our low fares, punctuality and friendly service, flying to primary airports across Europe … but the ad campaign should help us to reach business travellers who may not have considered easyJet to date.”
The ad opens in a busy airport where business men and women are rushing to catch their flights. Focus then shifts to a calm individual who is reading his newspaper, accompanied by the song “I’m late” from Disneys “Alice in Wonderland” film. Suddenly, two large white ears pop from behind the newspaper and the viewer realizes that the individual is actually a white rabbit, known for always worrying about being late. In the ad, however, he is calm because he knows his plane will be on time.
EasyJet has been trying to gain a competitive advantage against Ryanair Holdings Plc, EasyJets main rival and Europe’s largest discount airline. EasyJet has introduced flexible tickets, fast-track boarding and allocated seats to lure in more business passengers, pressuring its rival to adopt similar measures.
In late August, Ryanair revealed its latest step in its drive to attract business travelers, announcing the introduction of the “Business Plus” travel plan. It will include new business-class tickets starting from €70 and will come with several perks, like unlimited flight changes, fast-track security checks and “premium seating”. A few footnotes pointed, however, that some of these will be subject to availability, while the quick checks would apply to only a select few airports.
EasyJet Plc rose by 0.50% to 1 395 pence on Friday in London, marking a one-year change of +8.30%. The company is valued at £5.51 billion. According to the Financial Times, the 22 analysts offering 12 month price targets for easyJet plc have a median target of £17.06, with a high estimate of £21.00 and a low estimate of £11.50. The median estimate represents a 22.91% increase from the previous close of of £13.88.
http://markets.ft.com/research/Markets/Tearsheets/Forecasts?s=EZJ:LSE
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