France was supposed to launch a new ad campaign on Tuesday in its home country but decided to hold it back after the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium, the same day.
A rep from the brand’s agency, BETC Paris, confirmed the delay to Adweek today and said the ads will start appearing in France on March 29. No other details were disclosed about the campaign.
While other travel companies also likely canceled or delayed campaigns of their own, Air France’s move underscores how nimble brands need to be in moments of international crisis.
The airline had been running a spot from its dreamy 2015 “France Is In The Air” campaign (below) during CBS’s March Madness broadcasts in the New York City market but may have paused that effort in response to the airport and subway bombings in Belgium. The ad didn’t air Thursday night during a slate of four games on CBS and TBS after running repeatedly the previous weekend.
WCBS, the New York affiliate, declined comment, and BETC Paris couldn’t confirm the original schedule of the March Madness inventory.