• by Teresa Buyikian , 4 hours ago

Alaska Airlines, actually based in Seattle, is tapping into its Pacific Northwest roots with the Seattle Mariners for a new ad campaign for its lie-flat suites.

Alaska Airlines’ latest effort stars Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to help promote its new suites on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which features 34 lie-flat Business Class suites and 79 Premium Class seats with extra legroom.

The airline, which was founded in Anchorage, Alaska in 1932, moved its corporate headquarters to the Seattle area in the early 1960s.

A highlight of “The Big Seat” effort was an IRL activation where two of the new lie-flat suites were actually brought into Seattle’s T-Mobile Park and placed on the field.

A :30 spot, seen here, opens on Raleigh suiting up as pitcher for a Mariners’ game. A voiceover says, “To show up on the big stage it takes discipline, focus, repetition and a really big seat.” (Raleigh’s nickname is The Big Dumper.) The ad cuts to Raleigh in his lie-flat suite as he nestles in with feet outstretched, a blanket and eye mask. “This never gets old,” he says, as it is revealed that he’s actually in the suites that were brought into T-Mobile Park, where he is seated next to the team mascot Mariner Moose, as sprinklers start on the field.

“What excited me about the concept was the chance to connect Alaska’s growth into a global airline with the hometown spirit that still defines the brand,” said Daniel Mogg, owner of Mogg Media, who directed the ad for Alaska Air, in a release. “A Seattle icon that’s become a global star, Cal was the perfect fit to embody Alaska Airlines’ growth. Being able to bring a real lie-flat suite into T-Mobile Park, along with authentic Mariners elements like the head groundskeeper and the Mariner Moose, gave us a fun visual way to tell that story in a way that felt both premium and distinctly Seattle.”

It was apparently quite a challenge to set the suites on the field, according to the brand. The 3,000-pound seats had to be brought in from its Honolulu hub and were not allowed to actually touch the grass itself.