United Airlines has launched a playful video making use of YouTube's 'skip ad' button. It features an all too familiar scene at the airport - customers standing in a long line to … read morespeak with an airline representative. But what makes this spot different is that United reminds its customers that they do not have to stand in such lines thanks to its unique Agent on Demand service, with offers seamless and quick access to an airline representative via phone or mobile app. United encourages YouTube viewers to go ahead and skip the ad, just like they would be able to skip a long airport line with Agent on Demand. The film, developed with 72andSunny LA, features bespoke creative designed specifically for the media placement on YouTube. It opens with people slowly shuffling in line towards an agent at an airport desk (not that of United), with a voiceover encouraging people to press the ‘skip ad’ button to stop watching and ‘remove’ themselves from the line. In an interesting twist, if the viewer decides not to skip, they are treated to 15 minutes of people standing in line, capturing perfectly the feelings of tedium and frustration, reflecting what you would experience if you didn’t use the Agent on Demand service. A message pops up on the screen asking: ‘Wish you had a skip ad button for airport lines? Thanks to United, now you do’. The Agent on Demand product is then superimposed on the screen, while a series of prompts flash across the screen at speed, detailing: “It’s a United agent, ready and waiting, 24/7 to help you. Change your flight, change your seat, whatever you need.” The film offers suggestions for what people could be doing instead of standing in line, and ends with the voiceover saying: ‘You really shouldn’t be seeing this.’ The Agent on Demand service launched just over a year ago and recently logged its one millionth call. The digital tool enables people to talk to a United agent, by using the airline’s app or from their phone. The film coincides with the Agent on Demand service launching in every United Airlines operated airport worldwide.
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