The billboards use custom built surveillance technology that track the aircraft as it passes over the site, showing on the digital display the video of a child pointing at the aircraft overhead accompanied by its flight number and destination it’s arriving from.

Abigail Comber, British Airways’ head of marketing, said: “This is a first, not just for British Airways but for UK advertising. We all know from conversations with friends and family that we wonder where the planes are going and dream of an amazing holiday or warm destination. The clever technology allows this advert to engage people there and then and answer that question for them. We hope it will create a real ‘wow’ and people will be reminded how amazing flying is and how accessible the world can be.”

This digital billboard is an exceptional example of agencies harnessing technology in innovative ways. Gone are the days, we’re the audience are going to look at ad in a newspaper or billboard just because it is big, what we need to do it connect. The agency behind the Look Up billboards – Ogilvy London, have created a beautifully simplistic campaign that no doubt has incredibly complicated technology in the background, I look forward to one day seeing a behind the scenes of the process.

What I really love about this ad is how it brings a sense of the childlike wonder back to flying, in todays world we can fly to another or city or country for just a day, British Airways has no doubt successfully brought some magic back to the airline with this piece of advertising.

Post by Kean Edwards