Grim and grin in new Cathay spot

Lam joined the Cathay Pacific Central team as executive creative director of McCann Erickson, Greater China, in July this year. She was formerly group creative director at Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong, where she scooped the city's most coveted creative award, the Hong Kong 4As best of show Kam Fan last year. The spot is also the first managed by Celine Ho, who has replaced Olivia Wong as the airline's manager for marketing communications. "This is a new approach for Cathay," Lam said. "It captures what passengers really recall about their airline experience. The creative is based on the concept that it's the little things that we remember, particularly when it comes to the service industry and airlines." In one TVC, the scene opens on an acrimonious divorce, with a woman complaining bitterly about how her husband failed to bring home a single gift from his trips during their 10-year marriage. The scene cuts to the divorce lawyer frantically flicking through Cathay's duty free magazine to bring a gift home for his partner. Another spot shows a couple experiencing the difficulties of parting because one of them has a plane to catch. The man boards the plan in a depressed state, but is cheered up by a Cathay attendant when she offers him the use of the in-flight telephone system. "We decided there was no need to make dramatic promises but just to use a little humour to tell the truth that in the end little things make a big deal. It has the human touch and takes the perspective of the consumer. There is still a focus on the staff but it's more the impact they have on passengers. "The challenge was creating an emotional attachment and expanding it to take a global perspective. There are likely to be about six spots in total, with TV supported by print," said Lam. The spots will run in the US, Europe and across Asia. The campaign will run into the New Year in its initial burst. Upcoming spots will focus on small measures taken by Cathay Pacific in-flight staff to make passengers' trips more memorable. In addition to last year's HK4As best in show, Lam has also been decorated with gold awards for her television and print advertising. She took home a Spike at the 2004 Media Asian Awards and has collected prizes from the Clio Awards, the New York Festival and Cannes Advertising Festival.