Things we like #2

Last week, I was in Cannes.

There was sun, there was sand, there were world class advertising campaigns. And while all of these things captured my imagination in one way or another, it wasn’t any of these that made it in at number two in ‘things we like’…

In fact, it wasn’t until I was on my way out of Nice airport that I stumbled across this little gem:

Kiss and Fly.

Not ‘Short Stay Car Park’. Not ‘Drop-off Point’. And not £2 for 10 minutes.

And while the ‘authorities’ might claim that they’re drab naming conventions are accurate and functional, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

When you drop someone at the airport for a short stay, what do you do? You don’t drop-off and then bake a soufflé. You don’t park up for five minutes to weave a carpet. You stop by to see off a loved one.

And isn’t it lovely to acknowledge that fact?

Even those who don’t have a squeeze and a nuzzle sending them off on their travels are warmed by the sentiment of those three simple words.

And then what happens? Well, people talk about the idea and continue that sense of warmth. They even snap photos that become part of a fondly recalled holiday.

Maybe because of that, they then feel more positive about the other things you offer.

And so, when there aren’t any straws in the airport cafeteria, or the announcements are a bit fuzzy, they’re more likely to be forgiving.

Just imagine where else a little creative copy work wonders…

[Thanks to kkuz on Flickr, for the photo]

Brought into the world on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 and filed under Things we like.