The Talking Billboard

Client: easyJet Airlines

What do you think it takes to become a pilot? 2020 vision, a university degree, perhaps experience in engineering? Would it surprise you to know its none of the above?

And who do you picture when you hear ‘this is your Captain speaking’? With a staggering 95% of airlines pilots in the world being men, chances are you’ve never heard or seen a female pilot. easyJet has been on a drive to shift the dial and drive greater diversity within the pilot community by tackling misconceptions about who could have the potential within them to become a real highflier and encourage more women to join the profession. How better, than to put the public to the test with a real life pilot aptitude quiz to uncover and inspire a whole new generation of aviators? And where better to grab people’s attention, taking out-of-home advertising to a new level with a real life female easyJet pilot strapped to a billboard in central London? This head-turning campaign sparked important conversations about diversity in aviation and a slew of earned media, delivering more than 300 pieces of coverage. The campaign also drove an uplift in registrations for the pilot aptitude test, as well as applicant numbers to easyJet’s pilot training programme when compared to the previous year. Most importantly, we showed that the sky is the limit, no matter who you are.