United Airlines criticised for for "false" advertising
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United Airlines criticised for for "false" advertising
Friday, October 12, 2001 – South China Morning Post
SAR passengers' soaraway satisfaction a flight of fancy
VICTORIA BUTTON
Three Hong Kong "passengers" who featured in a United Airlines advertisement - aimed at restoring confidence following the US attacks - do not actually exist.
The company acknowledged comments attributed to Adam Tucker, Soh Wye Ju and Wong Siew Fei on Hong Kong flights were made by other people, relating to United flights elsewhere. The three passengers' names were made up.
"The actual quotes didn't come from Hong Kong residents," said United's Hong Kong general sales manager, Nicolas Ferri. However he denied the advertisement was misleading, saying passengers in Hong Kong had expressed similar sentiments.
The advertisement claimed Tucker "did not mind following the new safety procedures", Soh was "happy to present his photo ID" and it did not bother Wong "to wait longer in a line while going through security".
The code of practice of the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents of Hong Kong bans fictitious testimonials, and states they should come from "competent, impartial persons containing no mis-statement of facts or misleading implications".
However the chairman of the association, Jeffrey Yu, said he would not classify the advertisement as testimonial because the anecdotes in it were not in the first person.
Using local names and flight numbers helped create empathy in the reader for the message of the advertisement, he said.
Advertising aimed to dramatise a fact to catch consumer attention and, as long as the underlying reassuring message about security was true, Mr Yu said, he saw no problem with it.
Mr Ferri said the advertisement, conceived by Minneapolis-based Fallon Worldwide, aimed to restore confidence in air travel in general, and United in particular, in the wake of the American tragedy. The same advert had been created with other names and flight details for use in different regions, he said.
In Hong Kong, the advertisement ran in the South China Morning Post yesterday.
United Airlines' passenger numbers had been affected by the September 11 tragedy but were recovering steadily, although faster in the US than in Asia, said Mr Ferri.
SAR passengers' soaraway satisfaction a flight of fancy
VICTORIA BUTTON
Three Hong Kong "passengers" who featured in a United Airlines advertisement - aimed at restoring confidence following the US attacks - do not actually exist.
The company acknowledged comments attributed to Adam Tucker, Soh Wye Ju and Wong Siew Fei on Hong Kong flights were made by other people, relating to United flights elsewhere. The three passengers' names were made up.
"The actual quotes didn't come from Hong Kong residents," said United's Hong Kong general sales manager, Nicolas Ferri. However he denied the advertisement was misleading, saying passengers in Hong Kong had expressed similar sentiments.
The advertisement claimed Tucker "did not mind following the new safety procedures", Soh was "happy to present his photo ID" and it did not bother Wong "to wait longer in a line while going through security".
The code of practice of the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents of Hong Kong bans fictitious testimonials, and states they should come from "competent, impartial persons containing no mis-statement of facts or misleading implications".
However the chairman of the association, Jeffrey Yu, said he would not classify the advertisement as testimonial because the anecdotes in it were not in the first person.
Using local names and flight numbers helped create empathy in the reader for the message of the advertisement, he said.
Advertising aimed to dramatise a fact to catch consumer attention and, as long as the underlying reassuring message about security was true, Mr Yu said, he saw no problem with it.
Mr Ferri said the advertisement, conceived by Minneapolis-based Fallon Worldwide, aimed to restore confidence in air travel in general, and United in particular, in the wake of the American tragedy. The same advert had been created with other names and flight details for use in different regions, he said.
In Hong Kong, the advertisement ran in the South China Morning Post yesterday.
United Airlines' passenger numbers had been affected by the September 11 tragedy but were recovering steadily, although faster in the US than in Asia, said Mr Ferri.
