British Airways 'The Face': The Most Beautiful Advert Ever Made
- The Time Chair
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
The 1980s is often cited as a Golden Age for television advertising. In the days before easily-available graphics applications and Artificial Intelligence, the production efforts that went into some TV ads were on par with those of blockbuster films.
If I were to mention the Guinness Surfer, the Mash Get Smash Martians, or Nick Kamen in the Levi's Laundrette undressing to the dulcet tones of Marvin Gaye, then it wouldn't surprise me if flashbacks from each of these examples resurfaced within seconds. This is because all of these adverts were voted in Channel 4’s top 10 greatest adverts ever made alongside other classics such as Happiness is a Cigar Called Hamlet, Melanie Sykes' Boddington's Trailer, and the R. White’s Secret Lemonade Drinker. But as memorable as these ads are (and memorability is very high on the list for any advert wishing to be effective), it would be difficult to argue that all of these examples were top drawer in terms of aesthetic brilliance and technical execution.
Now don't get me wrong, the Guinness surfer and the Levi's laundrette are superbly shot and edited sequences, and in terms of message and recall, they are advertising gold dust. But when it comes to jaw-dropping beauty, choreography, soundtrack and cinematography - as in the sort which makes you literally stop what you are doing, fade into silence and pay full attention when it appears on screen - there is one advert from the 1980s which to this day would easily hold its own up against the ultra-high definition graphics of the 2020s.
In 1989, the airline company British Airways asked advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi to develop a new campaign for a global audience. Saatchi presented a few initial ideas, which by its own admission were fairly unremarkable, but one included a rough sketch of a disconnected smiling mouth, an eye, a nose and a scribbled face. BA bought into the idea, and The British Airways "Face” advertisement was born.
In 1989, Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) was in its infancy and extraordinarily expensive, so the creators of the Face ad would have to capture everything on camera. There were also going to be hundreds of people in the ad, so a good director would be needed. First choice was acclaimed director, Michael Cimino, who was notorious for his obsessive attention to detail, and as soon as the script was ready it was sent to him. Two weeks later an answer came back. Apparently, Cimino wanted $1 million just to read the script. That didn’t happen, and the search for a director courageous enough to take the project on and capture the entire thing on camera continued.
The fruits of that search came in the form of award-winning director Hugh Hudson, who not only had extensive experience in creating adverts, but was also responsible for the multi-award-winning film, Chariots of Fire.
The BA Face Ad was filmed in Utah using local school children to power its mesmerising visuals. It had a budget of £1 million, which was unheard of at the time for an advert. Experts with experience of directing crowds at Olympic events were brought in to direct the movements of the participants to the soundtrack of, “Aria on Air” by Malcolm McLaren (Yes, that Malcolm McLaren of Sex Pistols fame), and Yanni and Malcolm. The track is an adaptation of the Flower Duet from Léo Delibes’ 1883 opera, Lakmé. As a brief aside, and irrespective of your musical taste, if you get the chance to listen to the Flower Duet, you will experience one of the most beautiful opera pieces ever created. Actor, Tom Conti would provide the voice over for the Face ad which would deliver one simple line:
“Every year, the world’s favourite airline, brings 24-million people, together.”
When I first saw the BA Face advert, for the first minute or so I didn’t know what it was about, but I was immediately mesmerised by the colours, camera angles, choreography and audio. I didn’t know much about TV & Film in an academic sense at the time, but whatever this thing was, it grabbed my attention to such an extent that everything else in the room around me phased out of existence whenever it appeared on the TV screen. You have to remember that in 1989, big hair, vibrant colours and action soundtracks were still the staple for many ads, and kitsch was celebrated. The notion of using classical music or opera to help sell your product was largely the reserve of perfumes, luxury clothing, or occasionally, Shell Oil.
But when opera or classical music is combined with modern musical technology and a contemporary beat (as it was on the 1981 album, Hooked on Classics), then what comes out of it is a unique phenomenon which cuts through boundaries of musical taste. Were it not for Hooked on Classics for example, I would have never developed my liking for nor appreciation of classical music. In the BA Face ad, this synergy is executed flawlessly.
In terms of elements and associations, the visual contents of the ad are as equally impressive. Each part of the BA face represents the company’s values and mission at the time:
The smiling lips indicating a warm welcome.
The ear indicating that they listen to their customers (Note that the ear never made it to the final face and was replaced by a nose).
The eyes indicating that they are always looking to provide their passengers with what they need.
The coming together of multiple races and cultures signifying that they are a truly global airline.
The eye wink at the end showing a bit of cheekiness indicating that they don’t take themselves too seriously.
The use of the colours red, blue and white throughout to reinforce the brand image of being Britain's leading carrier.
Looking at the advert now, I can’t help but imagine how an advertising agency would approach the campaign in the present day. I suspect it would be a cauldron of ultra-fast edits, flashing high-saturation colours, and AI-assisted visuals that wouldn’t give you a second to absorb the message.
The ad was imitated in 2007 by Silverjet, a short-lived all-business class airline which operated routes from London Luton airport to New York and Dubai. It was produced by M&C Saatchi after they parted company from BA.
For me, the 1980s brought out the best in human creativity, and that's why the British Airways Face is the most beautiful advert ever made. We knew that the digital revolution was just around the corner, but simplicity was still the key to creating beautiful pieces of art that would stand the test of time, and speak to us not merely in the language of material gain, but in the language of the soul.
How did you react when you first saw BA's Face Ad?
Comments