British Airways adds motion and playful art direction to latest ‘A British Original’ ads

Uncommon reprises Cannes Grand Prix-winning campaign with some visual twists

Published On
Aug 03, 2023
"Margarita in the pool" British Airway ad printed on the side of an inflatable tube

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“A British Original,” the British Airways ad campaign that won the Grand Prix in Outdoor at Cannes Lions this year, has primarily been a copy-driven campaign. Indeed, most of the executions had no visuals at all, just simple and evocative copy lines—mimicking the immigration forms you fill out upon arrival in a new destination, asking if you're traveling for business or leisure.

Uncommon Creative Studio, the agency behind the work, has now released new executions that freshen up the campaign by playing around more with the art direction.

The new ads include digital executions that incorporate a bit of motion to enrich the appeal. The four ads below, for example, feature a rippling sail; a golf ball circling one of the bullets points like it’s a cup; an inflatable tube with beads of water dripping down it; and a swimming pool seen from above.

Each of the visuals nicely ties into the copy lines.

A British Airways ad with a rippling sail

A British Airways ad with a golf ball circling one of the bullets points like it’s a cup

A British Airways ad with an inflatable tube with beads of water dripping down it

A British Airways ad with a swimming pool seen from above

The new imagery was shot by the photographer James Day. There are new still executions as well, which also lean into the visuals more as a way of further elucidating the copy. These include an ad written in crayon; a Las Vegas ad with copy redacted; an ad with the copy stamped on French cheese; and an ad printed on a sweater.

A British Airways ad written in crayon

A British Airways Las Vegas ad with copy redacted

A British Airways ad with the copy stamped on French cheese

A British Airways ad printed on a sweater

MG OMD handled media, with Curious Productions doing the CGI work.