Southwest Airlines is done living in the past! Its new ads tell people to get their bags, because "it's on." Normally, "it" can't be "on" unless someone gets served first. But Southwest marketing bigwig Dave Ridley ignores that and encourages travelers to "put the challenges and difficulties of the past year behind and get going." In other words, don't let your dire financial straits prevent you from taking an ill-advised long-distance vacation. It's convenient that they're suddenly casting financial concerns to the wind, as these new ads replace the "No hidden fees" spots, which would be less effective now that Southwest has just introduced new fees of its own, for pets and unaccompanied minors. (That might be part of the past in which Southwest no longer wishes to live.) But this new plucky attitude is actually refreshing when every other brand in existence is scrambling to appear recession-friendly. That genial pessimism gets a little tiring en masse, so seeing a company with its chin up is a nice change of pace.

—Posted by David Kiefaber