Cathay locks in on global 'move' idea

Dubbed 'Born to move', the campaign eschews flight attendants and cabin visuals to allow Cathay to showcase its brand personality beyond that of a reliable airline for business travellers. The launch TVC conveys the look and feel of advertising for a sportswear brand, while the super reads 'We're born to move. Move farther to over 90 destinations worldwide'. Breaking later this month, the 'Friendship' spot shows two old friends re-enact a childhood game of cops and robbers when they are reunited, with a super reading, 'Be moved'. "In a strategic context, the 'Friendship' spot is meant to extend the 'Move' platform to an emotional territory," said Carol Lam, ECD of McCann Erickson's Cathay Pacific Central Team in Hong Kong. "We wanted to ensure 'Move' was not confined to a physical level." Vince Viola, senior VP, Asia-Pacific, and managing director, McCann, said the campaign sought to dial up Cathay's personality in the same way that Virgin had established a fun image for itself, while Singapore Airlines was best-known for the Singapore Girl. "Whenever we do tracking studies we see these airlines rank up against those images. For Cathay, we have done a series of product-focused ads in the recent past -- for business class and added frequencies," he said. "We felt it was time to dial up a little of Cathay's personality and focus on the softer side in terms of being progressive and dynamic." Additional spots have been created, with 20 executions in a 'toolkit' to give Cathay's overseas offices the flexibility to develop their own version while maintaining the campaign's overall look and tone.