Sharon Stone Sells Italian Style for ITA Airways
ITA Airways has enlisted Sharon Stone to embody Italian 'art de vivre' in a new campaign, using Hollywood star power to sell an airline on lifestyle and emotion rather than legroom and timetables.
The campaign
ITA Airways, Italy's flag carrier, has cast Sharon Stone as the face of a campaign celebrating Italian style and the art of living well. The creative leans on glamour and aspiration, positioning the airline as a gateway to a way of life rather than a way to get from A to B.
It is a deliberately emotional pitch in a category usually sold on price, punctuality and seat pitch.
Why airlines are selling a feeling
Flights are close to a commodity: routes and schedules are easy to compare, and price aggregators strip away most differentiation. The escape is to sell what can't be tabulated — identity, glamour, the promise of who you'll be when you arrive.
Our read at Marketing Minute: attaching a globally recognised star to 'Italian art de vivre' lets ITA borrow instant meaning and stand apart from cheaper rivals. The seat is the same; the story is the product.
What marketers should take
The transferable idea is to compete on meaning when you can't compete on specs. When your product is hard to differentiate functionally, the brand that owns the most desirable feeling wins the premium.
For any commoditised business, the question is what emotion or identity you can credibly own. A well-chosen ambassador can accelerate that, but only if the feeling is true to the brand rather than borrowed fame for its own sake.
Quick FAQ
Who is fronting ITA Airways' new campaign?
Sharon Stone, cast to embody Italian style and the art of living well.
Why sell an airline on lifestyle rather than price?
Flights are commoditised on routes and price, so selling identity and glamour is a way to stand apart and command a premium.
What's the lesson for marketers?
When you can't compete on specs, compete on meaning — own the most desirable feeling in your category.
When your product is a commodity — and a seat on a plane basically is — you stop selling the specs and start selling the feeling. ITA borrowing Sharon Stone and Italian glamour is a bet that identity outsells legroom. The seat is the same everywhere; the story is the only thing you can actually own. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
When you can't win on specs, win on meaning — own the most desirable feeling in your category.
If your product were identical to a rival's, what feeling would still make customers choose you?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Source: CB News.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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