My recent talk with Daniela the Flight Girl spurred my nostalgia about what flying was like back in the day. I remember those Mad Men episode with Don Draper was winging it to the coast with Roger Sterling with the suit coats still buttoned and stewardess with gloves on taking drink orders.

Today is a little different, right? You know the drill, show up three hours early, get frisked by TSA, beg for an upgrade (or pay a fortune for business class), and share sodas with your seat mates. So, what was it like when airline travel became a romanticized mode of transportation? I’ll tell you, it was smokey, dangerous, boozy, expensive, boring, racist, and sexist.

Expensive Tickets

In the fifties, a roundtrip ticket from Los Angeles to Chicago would set you back about $1,200 in today’s dollars (when adjusted for inflation). A one-way trip to Rome would have cost you $3,000!

Smoking

During the fifties, smoking (cigarettes, pipes and cigars) was acceptable (and to a large degree encourages) in flight. However, you couldn’t smoke in the terminal. Senior management at the airlines and the FAA were deathly (pun intended) afraid that fuel fumes could be ignited. Reform came in 1988 when smoking was prohibited on short domestic flights. In 2000, a new law banned smoking on all flights department from and inbound to the United States.

Baggage Claim

Back in the day, you would wait for a skycap to organize the luggage and after that laborious process, you would point our your suitcase and tip the man.

Lots of Drinking

Mile High Club aside, the only in-flight entertainment used to be alcohol. Everyone was served as much free alcohol as they could handle. And not handle. It was pretty common to disembark the plane totally hammered.

No ID Needed

Even as late as the nineties, you could board a plane with only your ticket. Showing up at the airport a few minutes before your flight was the perfect pre-flight timing, you didn’t take off your shoes, belt or hat, and your girlfriend could walk you to the gate to make sure you were going to where you said you were.

Danger!

In the Golden Age of Flying, your chances of dying were five times greater than today (and a patch of turbulence could snap your neck). Nice-looking dividers separated first class from coach. The only drawback was that they could shatter and spray you with glass during turbulence. Walking to the bathroom could be fatal. Trip and you could find yourself landing on a sharp edge or jag of a chair or table. Safety was not a priority once upon a time.

AD OF THE WEEK/MONTH/WHATEVER

In the sixties, sex sold everything. Today, you’d be called a misogynists or Donal Trump. I’ve detailed the AirStrip campaign quite a few times in the quasi-pages of the Media Guy Struggles. For those of you that missed it read the story. I’m excited to write that I finally found the vintage television spot.

In the commercial, a “hostess” (a new term coined by the advertising folks) casually strips off layers of her Emilio Pucci uniform to classic stripper music while the dominating male voiceover narrator uses not-so-subtle sexual innuendo to describe her action. Note the concluding tag line:

“The AirStrip is brought to you by Braniff International, who believe that even an airline hostess should look like a girl.”

See for yourself…

The post The Golden Age of Flying appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Have you ever been in the middle of a fairly tale?

Where can you plan a trip that could indulge you in ways you never thought is possible?

There’s a place on earth that has created controversies at its highest level in history, yet oozes uniqueness in its recent transformation to a young city with free spirit.

It’s Germany, a country that has navigated future away from the past and lifted its consciousness to a worldly attraction. Sometimes, it’s easy to pigeonhole a country, tying it a bleak existence that was once a reviled nation. That reality is about as far in the rearview as a land can be these days.

Brandenburg Gate: The Berlin Wall once stood in front.

Germany is lush with some of the world’s hidden gem cities. Many should never be missed. Berlin, Düsseldorf, Wiesbaden, and Schwangau.

Although we know Germany was rebuilt with a brilliant combination of efficiency, innovation, and intelligence, it seemed to have risen from the ashes as if by magic. No wonder why Walt Disney’s Imagineering mind brought the splendor of Schwangau’s Neuschwanstein Castle back to Southern California as the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at “The Happiest Place on Earth.” The place has that magic (more on that later…).

Before you do experience any of this, you need to get there. If you’re anything like the Media Guy, you’ll agree that flying anywhere these days is quite the drag. One of the most important parts of your travel planning is picking the right airline. After trying it out, I have to tell you that airberlin’s business class service from Los Angeles to Düsseldorf is the essential element to getting there with style and hospitality.

Whether you are on a business trip or planning for a holiday getaway to Germany, flying airberlin sets the stage for a fantastic adventure. Germany’s tourism numbers are up for the sixth year in a row. As one of the 480 million visitors to the county every year, you have plenty of options to get you there and it just so happens that airberlin is my new fave.

Why is that you ask?

Simply, business class on airberlin is an unbeatable journey as one of the most refreshing and rewarding times you can have thousands of feet in air. Once you reach a certain point in your life, the mad airport scramble is simply unacceptable. That’s one thing we really liked about airberlin: the smooth efficiency you would expect from a German airline is evident. Gate check-in, personal ushering from the business class lounge to the gate, timely boarding, and then addressing you by name in your seat—all nice touches.

During the almost 11-hour flight, there were cocktails, fluffy pillows, designer toiletries and, of course, the thing you want the most in business class, seats that recline all the way. If you’ve never indulged, once you push that recline button and keep it down until you are fully extended, you’ll finally understood why that extra cash is worth it.

A pod built for comfort and work…

Want more? Here are some of my top reasons to splurge:

1. You can work: I’m note sure about you, but carrying around designer headphones can get pricey and that’s not to mention the risk of loss or breakage. In airberlin’s business class cabin, every seat comes with a lush pair of headphones that immerses you in a vast selection of tunes that range from classical to rock to popular. Your seat, or should I say, space, puts the business in business class. There’s an abundance of legroom for any working position, a Swiss army-type table with shelves, pockets, charging stations for your tablet, smartphone, and laptop. 
2. Three-Course Fine Dining: Business class meals are a far cry from the foil-covered trays you get in economy class. We’re talking a three-course gourmet meal with a chilled vorspeise (appetizer), salad, a choice of three entrees, a dessert/cheese course and the aforementioned wine service. And as if that weren’t fancy enough, there’s even metal cutlery, actual china, real glasses, and white tablecloth service.
3. Wunderkind: We all know flying wrecks mayhem on our appearance. For all us beauty-obsessed travelers, the airberlin business class ticket comes with a lovely black ‘culture and hygiene’ bag containing high-end Wunderkind accessories. The chic kits include: Wunderkind lip balm and facial moisturizer, plush sleeping mask, toothbrush and socks. Yep, my bag still goes with me on every trip.
4. Real Dreams: I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve resorted to a sleeping pill to get through a flight. Turns out, a fluffy pillow, eye mask, the best airline slippers ever (yes, I still wear mine around the house) and a fully articulating 180-degree flatbed seat go a long way to get some rest in after finishing that deadline project and a fine meal.
5. Dreamy Wines: An hour into our flight, I was swaddled in a lush blanket watching a Bill Murray movie with gratis luxury headphones, with a bowlful of fine nuts at my fingertips. To say I was in the clouds and not worried about the seven projects due before landing was an understatement. But then the wine menu came around. Did I want the 2016 Kaapzicht Cuvee Anna White or the 2014 Chateau de Capitoul Syrah Grenache Charles Mock? Uhm, both please! Right about then is when I started fantasizing that the flight would never end.
6. The Ultimate Vacation: When I’m on a flight, I want 100% relaxation time. The unwinding time that business class travel gives is just what I needed to get me away from my daily non-stop energy push. To unwind is to reboot my system so my creative work and responsibilities operate at maximum speed. On our flight, I was given a “Caribbean getaway” right from my seat. With my headphones plugged into therapeutic music, I felt my wings filling with air, flying to that state of mind where nothing existed but ultimate vacation time. The quiet and friendly atmosphere translated to a spirit of luxury service. Inside, I was awakened to a delightful bite and a romantic voice preparing me for the landing. I could not believe how fast time passed and how incredible I felt preparing for a journey of a lifetime.

So, as they say on board, “Angenehmen Aufenthalt an Bord! (Have a pleasant flight!)”


Business Class Menu


Vorspeise / Appetizer

Fresh Garden Salad with Parmesan Shavings
Crôutons and Balsamic Dressing

Wild Mushroom Terrine with a delicate Quinoa Gemüsesalat
Salad and Dijon Mustard Sauce

Nordic Midsummer Salmon with a fine
Honey-Mustard Dressing and a Latvian Potato Salad


Heißes Gericht zur Auswahl / Your Choice of Hot Dish

Chicken Breast in a creamy Pepper Sauce with
Mustard flavoured Mashed Potates and creamed Leeks

Slow cooked Beef with Rosemary Jus, Polenta,
Ratatouille and Edamame Beans

Fillet of Cod in fine Tarragon Sauce on black
Beluga Lentil with and yellow and red Carrot Cubes

Nachtisch / Dessert

Cappachino Mascarpone Tart

Semi-hard Cheese with Raspberry-Mustard Crust
And Dofino Cream Cheese

Lindt Chocolates!

Awesome Slippers (See #4).

Wunderkind (see #3).

Dreamy Wines (see #5)

The post Summer Travel: airberlin to Germany appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

It pains me to do this critique. I’ve flown Emirates Airlines many times and love their business class services and economy class entertainment. But really, their print advertising has crossed over and jumped the shark.

Mary Wells, architect of the Braniff “End of the Plain Plane” ad campaign, is certainly sitting in her French villa chuckling over these ads. (Well, at least I would be…)

Ever since Braniff shocked the airline industry when Wells introduced the new International image for the airlines, the ad industry has been trying to match that impact.

For many of you reading who don’t know the story, Braniff introduced a new multi-colored fleet with technicolor cabins and exteriors in 1965. The campaign extended all the way to uniforms with stewardesses (that’s what they were called back then – hey, don’t shoot the messenger!) performing their notorious “AirStrip” where they would actually take layers of their uniform off as the flight progressed. Wells was pretty awesome. A “mad woman” of sorts. A genius that created the “Plop-plop-fizz-fizz,” “I Love New York,” and “Flic My Bic” campaigns. She set the standard for advertising innovation. In her book, A Big Life In Advertising, Wells detailed how this campaign was literally rescued from the circular file when desperation struck for that big idea.

The AirStrip? Yes, that’s real.

The trash bin leads to an interesting transition to the Emirates “Hello Tomorrow” campaign courtesy of StrawberryFrog and Scott Goodson, the agency’s creative genius.

Full disclosure once again. Who the #*%$ am I to critique these ads? StrawberryFrog has like a kajillion dollars in ad revenues. I’m just your run-of-the-mill Media Guy with an armful of shiny trophies and some great bar stories to show from my career (well, maybe more).

When Goodson was asked how he came with the campaign he said, “A great set of words – like Hello Tomorrow – point to an interesting dichotomy, which leads to dynamic advertising and game-changing ideas. The campaign needed to go way beyond conventional airline advertising. It needed to rally thousands of employees in the worlds fastest growing companies, make a statement about the future that would be heard by global travelers.”

Hmmmmmm…game-changing ideas…

Let’s jump into some of the ads and see what’s game-changing and what’s not.

REACTION: WTF? Did the copywriters have a diversity checklist?:

“Yeah, uh Bob, do we have hipster guy with a knit cap?”
“Yep, check!”
“A woman who looks equally part Latina and part black?”
“Yep, check!”
“An Asian woman?”
“Yep, check!”
“An Irish/Caucasian-looking redheaded woman?”
“Yep, check!”
“A German woman?”
“Yep, check!”
“A very African woman?”
“Yep, all set!”

C’mon…I thought the days of no-two-people-of-the-same-race-can-be-in-an-ad-together were gone! What about that great no-aisle, six across seating plan they have working here? I bet that even said “we can sound extra international and intelligent if we spell ‘flavor’ the English way and add the ‘u.’ Yeah that’s a great idea.

REACTION: Bed head or electrocution? Seriously? And who wears green sweats with a yellow cardigan and a burgundy blouse in business class anymore? What a nightmare.

REACTION: I don’t believe the two women in the ad are even dancing. I can only assume that they are channeling their inner OutKast and were caught throwing “their arms in the air and waving them like they just don’t care.” But honestly, I don’t need to go clubbing in Dubai when the LA and Vegas clubs do the trick nicely. As a matter of fact, wouldn’t anything in Dubai — the indoor skiing, the Burj Al Arab, or even the Gold Souk — be something you want to do over clubbing? All of this begs the question: were either of these women even in motion?

REACTION: Look, I don’t mean to keep pooping on their ads, but what in the living hell just happened to the first class cabin? Everything Emirates Airlines shows seems to be this exercise in avant-garde misrepresentation. On who’s authority was this guy allowed to get hammered on premium bourbon and then whip out his saxophone to jam Charlie Parker style? So if this isn’t even remotely going to happen then why is it in the ad? If you were suffering in economy, how long would it take you to steal a bottle of wine from the beverage cart and beat that instrument into a pile of brass?

REACTION: I certainly hope all of this remixing isn’t happening during take-off or landing? And, did this intrepid DJ purchase an extra $5500 business class ticket just to do an emergency mix for a wedding in the U.A.E.? However you slice it, it’s a assault on the poor schlub in economy (again)…like coach-bound Renee Zellweger told her son in Jerry Maguire, “First class, that’s what’s wrong. It used to be a better meal, now it’s a better life.” Yeah you had me at Hello Tomorrow.

REACTION: Why is it that the caucasian is sheltering the Indian woman from the rain and not the other way around? And, the guy in the left in the foreground is covering his head with a newspaper. I mean who reads a newspaper anymore? Why is it that only two out of the seven people in this ad had an umbrella? Was it a flash storm? A gift from the heavens to alleviate draught? I don’t know about you, but the last five hotels I stayed at had a complimentary umbrella to use during my stay. The only thing game changing about this ad is the pantheon level of absurdity it delivers.

REACTION: Do you really think the woman to the left of this poor man’s Hugh Hefner in the smoking jacket is going to be all smiles asking him why he chose chicken cordon bleu over the filet mignon. No, Rico Suave…she’s going to ask the flight attendant to move her away. 

The post Emirates Airlines has Jumped the Shark appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

-Fifty years ago ads for cigarettes were everywhere and endorsed by celebrities from sports to movies.

-Coca Cola, backed by the Soda Pop Board of America, once proclaim that our children’s brains needed sugary drinks in their formative years to develop properly and fit in with society properly.

–Airlines used to position their women employees as a wonderful way for men to replace their wives on their travels (or even find a wife for that matter).

Now, well past my formative years in the ad game, I am beside myself about the sexist advertising that still exists. I can’t say that I’m an innocent in the world of using the female form to sell product.

Check out these award-winning ice cream spots (yes, I am serious [!], I have shiny pieces of hardware touting my excellence in advertising for these gems…how misinformed was I?):

Creme d’Or Ice Cream

Looking back, I can’t say that I am proud, but I guess you can call me a reformed feminist because I don’t do commercials like that anymore.

Hard to find, but a fantastic gossip read.

The feminist led me to paid more attention to the famous Hollywood casting call. Marilyn Monroe made the casting call famous. Monroe had resolved to sleep with anyone who could help her attain fame and fortune in Hollywood. According to countless biographies, friends of the iconic actress routinely note that she had “sex with anybody she thought might be able to advance her career.”

Many others, male and female, have chosen to take this path, even today. However, women are still being subjected to the sexist rigors of the casting call and showrunners don’t even seem to feel the need to hide it.

There’s been some buzz about “Casting Call, The Project,” which features real women—18 in all—reading real casting notices. Their reactions range from as little as raised eyebrows to exasperated sighs and obscenities.

Three friends created the project—Julie Asriyan, Laura Bray and Jenna Ciralli—summarized their work:

“In our quest to find and create work, we became all too familiar with reading character breakdowns posted on casting call notices via the numerous casting websites (some legitimate and reputable, others, not so much). Throughout this journey, we would often share with each other particularly ridiculous, hysterical and appalling casting call notices.”

The project is working with over 300,000 Facebook views in its first 24 hours and it’s closing in on 100,000 views on youtube:

Each casting call notes the classic stereotypes about gender, age, body type, and race with many conveying the deepest cuts into institutional segregation of the sexes:

• “Loves being a woman, so she probably wears a push-up bra.”
• “Nerdy type of girl, nevertheless she has a boyfriend who loves her.” 
• “Her cleavage is her best feature.”
• “She’s actually pretty, even with no makeup.” 

My “favorites” are these lines:

• “Lead actress needed for film about feminism. She is moderately attractive.”
• “Prefer an actor who is not thin. This is a great role for a feminist.”

Seriously, who writes this stuff?!

Kudos to these real New York friends who creatively show that by taking ownership of the creative process, women can “bring about the roles we all want to see for female actors.”

In other news…

…London mayor bans sexist ads…

Women react to ‘body-shaming’ Protein World ads.

…Advertising Agency Returns Cannes Bronze Lion for Sexist Scam Ad for Bayer…

Violating privacy of women wins awards, but doesn’t pay well in public anymore.

and finally, A big brand promises less sexist advertising!

The post The Dreaded Casting Call appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

I’m down on the ground once again. And not a second too soon because flying coach is a special trip to hell. I have to tell you that years of flying business and first class has spoiled me to the point where I need my mimosa before taking off or the whole experience is a bust.

Guess who was the loudest a-hole on my flight?

My flight featured a guy who insisted on being overly loud and half-naked, a twentysomething reading the latest issue of Guns & Ammo (always refreshing in a post-9/11 apocalypse), a psychic in the back of the plane doing some seance with her entourage in the back of the plane, candy bar lunches, and (rumor has it) Nicki Minaj in my business class seat.

Apparently Ms. Minaj took a break from her various Twitter scorned earth campaigns to harass a couple of the first class flight attendants. The stories of her belittling behavior floated back to the cheap seats pretty fast with reports of her ordering vodka cranberries at warp speed and once the flight attendant delivered the drink, she would take a single sip and demand another. She wasn’t alone, as her entire crew did the same thing until all of the mini bottles were gone.

Yeah, uh, you stay classy San Diego!

This story prompted a long overdue visit with one of my best buddies: Flight Girl Daniela. I know what you are thinking, “Flight Girl”?, why in the world would I call her that? You I know she’s a flight attendant. However, sorry folks, Daniela doesn’t take herself that seriously and actually makes passengers call her Flight Girl. For those of you who don’t know, the two columns we teamed on (December 2012’s “Flying the Friendly Skies” and April 2014’s “Daniela::Deux”) are still ranked in the top 10 Media Guy Struggles all-time reads, combining for 200,000+ page views.

We met at a Hollywood deli. She had the matzo ball soup and I had bagel chips with a side of well-done pickles. She arrived in uniform with perfect make-up and a pilot’s hat she lifted from her last flight with the promise to return it at her leisure. I asked her about Nicki’s action in first class and she said that’s normal for a the divas. She reported that even the divas of yesteryear can be a nightmare when the drink orders come in.

“One of the legendary stories they always tell us is about Lucy (Lucille Ball). On flights, no one could not speak to her, even for drink orders — you had to ask her assistant what Lucy wanted to drink. Another time, one of our sisters in flight accidentally dropped a glass of water on her and Lucy insisted it was okay, but when another glass was delivered, Lucy tossed the contents in her face and screeched, ‘How do you like it now?'”.

None of all of this bad behavior bothered the flight attendants (aka stewardesses, aka sexy stews) of the 1950s, 60s and 70s more than the way airlines used women and sex to sell air travel. There was even a secret public relations push to glorify the Mile High Club to make being in the air sexier that being on the ground.

“From objectifying women as maps to the promise of someone getting a wife out of their cross-country flight, airlines have long used women to sell tickets'” says Daniela.

With that, we spent lunch talking about fifteen of the most recognizable Triple S (“Sex Sells Seats”) ads that appeared in the pages of some of the biggest magazines ever in print:

1. Finnair – Summer Routes Ad (1968). No need for a real map. Use the back of a curvy brunette. Once you get to Finland, you can plan your pleasure route.

2. United Airlines  – The former Miss Butterfingers Ad (1967): The ad reads “…two months ago, Sheri Woodruff couldn’t even balance a cup of coffee. But she was friendly, intelligent, and attractive…” I am so glad she was at least attractive!

3. United Airlines – Old Maid ad (1967). They called her an old maid because she’s been flying for almost three years! None of that matters because “…everyone gets warmth, friendliness and extra care. And someone may get a wife…” Wow, coffee, tea or a wife! Sheesh!

4. PSA Airlines – Famous Stewardesses Radio ad (1969). Imagine hearing this on the radio today: 

“Right now PSA, the airline that is famous for its stewardesses, is looking for girls. Yes..girls to fill a cute orange mini-uniform…girls who smile and mean it…girls who give other people a lift. Now if you’re single, 18 1/2 to 26 years old, 5 foot 1 to 5 foot 9, 105 to 135 pounds, have a high school diploma or better–come in for an interview at the Los Angeles International Airport stewardesses department Tuesday or Thursday. PSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer” 

Yeah, uh, equal opportunity except the age, sex, height, weight, and marital status parts!

5. United Airlines – The Glamorous Life ad (1966). How great is it that that evolved from the specs of the original stewardess?: “Registered nurse, not over 25 years of age, weighing 115 lbs. or less, not over five feet four inches tall.” The consolation is at least they edited out “bride ready’ in the final copy.

6. American Airlines – Beautiful Girls (1967). I mean thank the heavens for American Airlines because they couldn’t possibly ‘…afford the sweet young thing who just stands there…’ and we were so much better for it.

7. United Airlines – Come Back Soon ad (1966): Only on United…a special brand of work prostitution: “You went to sleep after dinner. Why not? You work hard. When the flight landed, the stewardess smiled goodbye like she really meant it. She does. She even straightened your boutonniere. You get this kind of ‘extra care’ every time you fly with us.” What else do you get?

8. TWA – It’s A Man’s World ad (1953). The only airline ad we could find that didn’t devalue women and refused to trade on a woman’s body and racial profile as the core checklist in their advertising campaigns.

9. TWA – Foreign Accents ad (1968). It’s a shame the TWA ads of the late 1960s couldn’t mimic their predecessors from the 1950s. Really, how great would it be to select one of your four hostesses on TWA?: “…they come in four styles with hostesses to match: Italian (see toga), French (see gold mini), Olde English (see wench). And Manhattan penthouse (see hostess pajamas—after all all hostesses should look like this, right?)” Toga? Wench? This is about as low as it gets.”

11. Japan Airlines – How to Train and Airline Hostess (1959). This ad could also be called How to Train Your Future Foreign Wife…take a read: “A Japanese girl is taught from childhood the satisfaction of doing something for its own sake….You feel her real desire to please you, and only you. For she satisfies herself only as she succeeds in making you happy.”

12. American Airlines – Conrad Hilton ad (1966). American somehow tried to justify that women are just products with this stellar copy: “Flying just isn’t much of a thrill for Mr. Hilton anymore. He expects attention for his money.”

14. British Overseas Airways Corporation – all her Suki ad (1964). Isn’t it great she is more thank just beautiful? After all, she “can serve you sake, sushi, and teriyaki steak with ancestral grace.”

—
EDITOR’S NOTE: 
Part 2:
Read part one of Daniela and Michael here.


Part 3:
Read part three of Daniela and Michael here.

The post Nicki Minaj took my seat in business class, plus a visit with Flight Girl Daniela! appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.