Small beginnings.

It all began as a hurried meeting where we learned that a major Intelsat competitor in the commercial aviation space just dropped the ball big time. To seize the opportunity, we were tasked with coming up with a quick campaign (ads and messaging) that pointed out why redundancy matters.

The idea.

Originally referred to as the “don’t keep all your eggs in one basket” campaign, it would have been easy to start from a place of pointing out the competition’s weakness. By choosing an inflight connectivity provider that was prone to satellite downtime, a couple of major airlines had egg on their faces.

But the easy route isn’t always the way to compelling creative, and flipping it to a positive message vs. a negative one was key. We didn’t want to talk about the failure of the competition, but rather the success of Intelsat and its inflight experience in contrast to the other guys.

Crafting the concept.

The idea of continuous connectivity seemed to fit the bill the best. And so, “non-stop service” was born. After all, by pointing out Intelat’s multiple satellites and orbits make sure a flight’s always connected spoke to its strength while pointing out a competitor’s weakness. But we didn’t stop there. We paired that message with visuals to show connectivity that isn’t just reliable, but demonstratively better than the competition—all thanks to the new innovations Intelsat brings to the table.

Blurring the line between connectivity on the ground and in the air was our strategy. We started by thinking through the different things passengers can do on a plane while connected to the internet. (work, entertainment, watching live sports, and connecting with those on the ground) was the starting point.

Non-stop is more than reliability.

Although originally meant to position Intelsat as more reliable thanks to its multi-satellite approach, our client quickly realized that “non-stop service” meant so much more than just reliability—it neatly expressed everything that makes Intelsat superior.

Intelsat has a unique position in that they are flexible and don’t just end the service by selling you connectivity, they also work with airlines in planning, installation, hardware, software for portals, you name it. So the relationship doesn’t just end with airlines getting an antenna and being told “good luck with all that”—it, itself, is non-stop.

The execution.

To escape the trap of relying on limited stock photography and video that everyone in the market has access to, we concluded making this truly ownable and bringing the concept to life required a studio shoot with models, actors, branded props, and custom content for devices. This fun challenge included the logistics of finding an aircraft fuselage and having it shipped from Vegas to Portland in time for the shoot.

Since the campaign also covered the people behind non-stop service, we also traveled to Intelsat’s commercial aviation headquarters in Chicago to do extensive interviews with the smart folks behind it all, and capture behind-the-scenes footage.

Once we shot the raw materials, it was time to build the campaign. This included a “non-stop service” messaging document to support Intelsat’s internal initiatives, an anthem video, ads, pre-roll spots, a landing page update, and an immersive booth experience using a 30-foot wrap-around screen.

Partnership is everything.

At the end of the day, this was all possible because of the way our team and our client came together. Our ideas turned something with small and humble beginnings into a strong campaign that will live in the market for years to come.