Heathrow's First Ever TV Spot Takes Off

Encouraging us to marvel in the magic of flight, the septuagenarian airport looks forward to another 70 years of flying with a cute film following the adventures of tomorrow's frequent flyers. Titled First Flight, the spot directed by Dom & Nic through Outsider, follows a little girl taking her first air trip accompanied by ‘Owly’ her trusty, bird-faced carry-on case and ultimately hooking up with another junior aviator.

As the child gazes in wonderment at the UK’s air travel hub, we see its gleaming interiors, glorious retail opportunities and the inherent dramas of greetings and goodbyes through her excited eyes – a cunning trick that obviates the need to gloss over the mild anxiety that most parents suffer while enduring air travel with tots.

The wide-eyed whimsical mood of the spot is greatly enhanced by a smart choice of music, a little-known but charming ditty, When I Live My Dream from David Bowie’s debut 1967 album titled (rather unimaginatively)  David Bowie.

The advert launches on the airport’s social media channels today and will then feature on TV for the first time on Thursday 21^st July during the first break of Emmerdale on ITV.

Havas London’s ECD Ben Mooge said: ‘We've seen so many stories that have started and ended at Heathrow over the last 70 years; from the Beatles departing for America to Princess Elizabeth landing as our Queen. But just as importantly, every day Heathrow starts another of its millions of personal journeys, so we wanted to bring to life a small but universal one – the story of a little girl taking her bag on a first ever flight.’

This message will be amplified beyond the TV campaign through a range of channels, including press and outdoor through a partnership with Absolute Radio Sponsorship.

Heathrow’s CEO John Holland-Kaye said: ‘Heathrow has been proudly connecting the UK to the rest of the world for 70 years.  Our campaign subtly celebrates the work that goes on behind the scenes by more than 400 organisations to make flight possible at Heathrow.’

The owl bag featured in the television advert will be available to passengers at Heathrow in Terminal 2’s John Lewis.