Aer Lingus 'Plan B': Uncommon Creative Studio scores a timely win

Fresh from its appointment as Aer Lingus’s global creative partner, Uncommon Creative Studio has delivered a culturally nimble campaign titled ‘Plan B.

Launched in the immediate aftermath of a high-profile football fixture (with Ireland’s national team), the work cheekily suggests that when Mexico is off the menu, Europe is the far superior alternative.

The idea plays on national pride, pasty complexions and the perennial British-Irish love of a seasonal bask in the sun. It is light, topical and turned around quickly.

Our take

Uncommon builds on its reputation on sharp, culturally literate work here. Elements of it, like the subversion of the logo, the cultural ear, and simply translatable visual language, remind me of their famous BA work last year.

This feels like a natural evolution of their Aer Lingus remit however, and it carries a bit of the approachable, budget DNA accordingly.

Perhaps then, the ad is positioning Aer Lingus somewhere in between Ryanair’s combative price-led advertising and British Airways’ more cinematic leanings.

Either way, this is a smart bit of opportunistic creative that’s very Uncommon, and more importantly, very Aer Lingus.