I don't buy from people who "innovate" in their ads. Often I feel they have wasted a lot of money which could have gone into making the product cheaper. Advertising is important, but over expensive advertising is not.
If a brand I know has an overpaid celeb fronting their campaign, I often stop using the product, or won't buy if it I don't use it, as it means I am being overcharged such that the celeb can walk away with loads of dosh - similar to harrogate not going to picture loans.
Taking inflation into account is pointless, it the actual "adjusted cost" that is relevant, or the "real terms" amount of money.
Ryanair and Easyjet don't innovate in their ads, they just use tried and tested means. The problem with BA is that they continually used to try to innovate and missed the public on the street. The ads might look good, but they were ineffective. Really effective marketing is what Ryanair and Easyjet do, and BA is just beginning to catch onto. Sponsor a radio show, put ads up on the underground and get to the point - mention the name of the brand a lot and get people's attention.
The problem with old BA ads is that they never used the name enough. The modern ads on the radio and telly are much better and incidentally cost less than the huge amount Saatchi and Saatchi used to take.
The squeaky earring advert on the telly a few years ago was great, but I can't remember the brand of the car. A few years ago I watched the new BA advert three times before I realised it was a BA advert. That was innovative, but it wasn't effective.