• by Karl Greenberg , October 11, 2007

ExpressJet Airlines is launching a national brand campaign from its new agency San Francisco-based ATTIK, which recently snapped up the creative account from the Houston-based carrier. The first elements launched this week on selected radio stations in the 26 cities in the West, Central and Southeast regions of the United States serviced by ExpressJet.

The effort also includes customized print ads and billboards for each city.

It targets travelers looking for amenities in an airline that also avoids those hair-raising flight changes at major hubs. The tagline for the initial salvo of print ads is "Get over stopovers," with radio spots titled "Magician" and "Race Car Driver" extending the theme with characters facing unusual travel predicaments.

The latter ad has a woman interviewing a race-car driver who says he has a new way to get to the race more quickly. "Pit stops are for pace cars, not for real competitors like myself," he says. "And I used to have a bench in my truck but I'm taking out the middle seat like ExpressJet so I can be more comfortable."

Billboards break next week, and interactive campaign executions will begin appearing on targeted online destinations. There will also be a guerrilla campaign featuring ExpressJet-branded milk and cookies for people in office parks and high-traffic business areas. Guerrilla activities are also on tap.

Ron Lim, associate creative director at the San Francisco-based agency, says the agency won the account without a review--adding that there may be television as part of the effort next year. "It's national in that all their markets are throughout the U.S., so it will be seen throughout the U.S."

He says the effort highlights the new, smaller (50-seat) planes, without constricting middle seats--"A huge thing for business travelers," says Lim--flying out of less-congested airports. The effort also focuses on amenities like larger snacks and dollar beers.

The first execution of ads touts the airline's non-stop service and XM satellite radio and the airline's valet service for carry-ons, says Lim. Print will include three consecutive full-page newspaper ads in regional versions of The Wall Street Journal and other publications.