The Goodyear blimp is making a fairly rare visit to London for the next few days and it is delighting people as it slowly glides around the city skyline broadcasting a message of hope and deliverance an exhortation to buy their tyres.
Throughout the summer, helicopters fly over the city dragging a huge square banner advertising a cheap lager or insurance firm and most people I know just look up and mutter comments more suited to a rough pub. However, along comes Goodyear, does essentially the same thing, and it gets a flood of goodwill towards the brand on Twitter as people excitedly look out of their offices for a glimpse of the floating blue whale above their heads.
When was the last time anyone got that excited about a brand of tyres?
Well, actually, I am a huge fan of this TV advert from some years ago, but that it advertises tyres is an irrelevance and as a commercial it is a failure as I can never remember the brand it promoted.
But we all know the big blue blimp is the Goodyear blimp, even if the person looking at it is unsure who Goodyear is and what they do.
It somehow engenders a level of positive emotion about the word “goodyear” that even Apple’s marketing people must look at with some envy.
So for the next few days we shall look up in delight at a giant floating advertisement.
—
Incidentally, you can apply for a ride with the blimp – or more accurately, a friend can suggest you should have a ride in the blimp and if you are chosen, then you could taken them along with you as a thank you. It would be only fair after all.
I think this was flying over the marathon route this morning providing aerial pictures, and it was definitely used for Sky’s coverage of the Arsenal Liverpool match, they get the pictures free in return for showing the blimp itself which they did at half time..
I can say for sure that the blimp wasn’t involved in the marathon coverage – there were two helicopters on that duty.