Aer Lingus Brand Refresh

Helping Aer Lingus Take Flight with a New Brand

While Aer Lingus has long been a cherished and loved Irish brand, the time had come to reflect its transformation from traditional flag carrier into one of the most innovative and successful airlines in the world – complete with Skytrax 4-star rating and one of the highest NPS scores in the industry.

Aer Lingus tasked us with creating a brand that would reflect the radically different airline it had become, yet preserve the emotional bond with Ireland that it has always had. So, we sought to affirm their position domestically by embodying the spirit of modern Ireland, while demanding reconsideration among new audiences to support the airline’s ambition of being the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic.

Over the past decade, Aer Lingus has worked hard to become a true value carrier, with a laser sharp focus on providing guests with more for their money while also giving them the flexibility to choose the elements of the experience that best suit their needs. Our work involved crystallizing this ethos into a powerful, guiding brand platform that combined the authentic warmth of Irish hospitality, with a distinctive customer proposition and focus on delivery excellence. Their new brand purpose, “Giving our guests the smartest travel experiences” is anchored in a set of core messages to help connect with a broad set of audiences – including a growing share of trans-Atlantic business travelers.

To support this renewed brand purpose, we developed a comprehensive visual expression, which involved refreshing the logo to create a more assertive and dynamic interpretation of the iconic shamrock. We also created a new livery system and overall brand expression that stretched across every touch-point in the air and on the ground. As a whole, the system captures the ambition, freshness and modernity of the brand while being absolutely recognizable as Aer Lingus.

And, in order to help Aer Lingus communicate impactfully across this experience, we clarified its authentic brand character and tone of voice to reflect the brand’s desire to be clear and concise with exactly the right amount of Irish wit and warmth. This was then embodied in a set of clear, actionable guidelines, allowing the tone to be applied effectively by communicators and flexed to suit individual moments.

Our ongoing partnership has not only allowed Aer Lingus to present itself as a leader, but also to connect more powerfully than ever with audiences at home and across the world.