Barbara Lippert's Critique

United spots broke, a story in the Associated Press called them “controversial,” declaring that “some marketing experts think it’s a mistake to remind passengers of something the airline industry would rather forget.”

“Controversial?” asked my editor. “What are they supposed to do—just go out of business?”

Good question. Airlines are in big trouble, and while many of their problems are way beyond advertising’s reach, image is key in the industry’s rebuilding.

These three spots are about as simple, straightforward and human as they can be.