On Southwest, *old* bags fly free?

While I may be in the minority, I actually love this Southwest spot. It’s got moxie, mister! Problem is, when you look at some of the other policies they have in place and the Kevin Smith snafu, it’s kinda tainted for me. Look, agencies generally try to solve problems for clients. The most they can do is make recommendations about a brand’s core product or how it should change its customer service policies if that’s what needed.

They also know there’s only so much an ad campaign can do, especially if other things need fixing first. If the brand ignores the advice? All the agency can do at that point is come up with advertising that gets attention, because they sure aren’t gonna leave all that money on the table. (Shhhh, you know it’s true.) Realizing this crosses into ethical considerations, this raises the question:

At what point do you question the policy of the brand you work on if the only thing they afford you is a chance to do interesting advertising?

Admittedly, it’s easier to make that distinction on brands where a certain moral flexibility is required (like tobacco or political advertising), but when an otherwise decent brand has issues, what to do, what to do...

So, that heady stuff and Kevin Smith’s problems aside (and our take on it), I loved the pseudo-Braveheart underdog vibe of this spot as well as the way it incorporates actors with *everyday* company workers, something their spots hadn’t done much of to this point. (I’m guessing that was a little less cordial than she was used to.)

Does YouTube Nation feel the same way? The hell they do!

“This is the most annoying, obnoxious commercial on the air. The real irony is that most of the tarmac workers portrayed would have to buy two seats under Southwest's "fat asses pay double" rule.”
– NyBob85

“‘BAGS’ FLY FREE and an ‘OLD LADY’ on an airplane. Has Southwest mistakenly humored or maybe insulted demographics of its target market with DOUBLE ENTENDRE?” – Mattcendro26

“commercial is fuckin annoying” – arniesalmon

“Southwest should pull this out. Faking an off color humor is kinda out of taste and cheap.” – totustuos