Hasta La Creative!

Last summer, adland was stunned when Southwest Airlines looked for creative help beyond their of agency record for more than 30 years, Austin, Texas-based GSD&M.

The relationship between GSD&M’s Roy Spence and Southwest’s founder Herb Kelleher was legendary and resulted in many awards for well-liked work, such as the “Ding! You are now free to roam about the country” tagline. “Ding” was even branded into a low-cost fare calculator for consumers. Still, Dave Ridley, Southwest’s senior VP-chief marketing officer, in July said they needed additional creative resources. After a review, he said that TBWA (GSD&M’s sibling agency) proved that they can help to tell the airline’s “strong brand story.”

GSD&M remains Southwest’s creative agency partner, but TBWA’s Los Angeles office is now responsible for the airline’s big spring campaign. The first spot in that series is called “Welcome Aboard” and features a baby, basketball player, business woman and a ballerina.

Continue reading at AdAge.com