I was working out last night and the following commercial caught my attention–
I don’t watch TV when I workout — usually I am just listening to something — but I quickly pulled off my headphones…
I thought it was a commercial for the new Emirates First Class Suites.
> Read More: Stunning New First Class Suites on Emirates
Nope.
But it was a rather funny commercial for E*Trade.
I love the set-up: the guy in the middle seat leaning against the poor man on the aisle and the brat behind kicking the seat.
Then the man journeys up toward the first class cabin, taking in its opulence as he pears through the curtain. A smiling FA dressed in a suspciously-similar uniform to Emirates smiles and walks over to the man. He smiles back, thinking he will be invited in.
Instead, she slams the curtain closed in his face. He returns to his seat with a dejected look on his face.
“FIRST CLASS IS THERE TO REMIND YOU YOU’RE NOT IN FIRST CLASS”
We can’t help in the kid-kicking-your-seat department but we can help in the taking-control-of-your-finances-so-you-can-plan-your-financial-dreams department. Don’t Get Mad. Get E*TRADE. The Original Place To Invest Online.
It’s a funny ad.
But I take a different philosophy on first class. No, first class is not there to remind us we are not in it. First Class is merely an opportunity for us to use points and miles wisely to secure it at a price far cheaper than the chumps who pay full price. That’s how I look at first class…
What do you think of this ad?
That commercial cracks me up every time I see it. However, it’s so entertaining, when I told people about it, I could never remember what it was advertising! This is the very first time that I have ever noted that it was for e*trade, and that is ONLY because you mentioned it.
As much as I hope ads will be entertaining like this one (and not obnoxious) I assume that it doesn’t really help the company if we don’t perceive/remember what’s being advertised. Maybe the youtube views are calculated to make up for the live TV failures.
If there aren’t “chumps”… last I checked caviar suppliers and champagne houses expect to be paid in cash, not funny money points. This is a pretty essential point to remember; “wise use of points and miles” for luxury first class has a pretty significant free rider problem and depends on the market inefficiency of inflexibility of cabin sizes and routes creating impaired inventory. What you see happening as a response is airlines like Lufthansa, Emirates and Cathay Pacific eliminating first class seats. Why sell some glasses of lemonade for a million dollars and give some for free?
And yes, misery in economy is part of why first class exists. “Hey, you can escape this bad experience by paying more” is definitely why Basic Economy exists…
I understand your point and don’t disagree, but I still believe that the primary purpose of this blog is to help people avoid paying full price.
They play this all the time in my elevator. It’s so misleading, go trade some stocks and get rich? That’s some terrible advice.
Matt, I’m not sure how you got Emirates uniform from that though.
That “chumps” remark was a really cheap shot.
The “chumps” are the only reason why airlines have premium cabins in the first place. Without us, you would be stuck in the middle seat enjoying your half can of coke and mystery meat meal.
I’m not talking about when other people pay for your ticket or you get a great deal. But I do question the sanity of those would drop $30,000 for a first class ticket when even if they buy the points from AMEX directly at 2.5 cents each and redeem with Emirates the trip still comes out at 50% off. That’s my point–not a broad disparagement of all those who pay instead of use points. This year I’ve bought more premium class tickets directly than I ever have in all my years of travel. But always at prices that made sense.
I love this commercial, too, especially the FA’s various faces: smiling as she approaches the curtain; disgust/disdain as she cinches them shut; and then reverting to a forced smile as she wheels around to face her F customers, all within a few seconds.
No. First Class is there for the 0.05% who need to separate themselves from the (maybe) 15% of the world who fly at all, and mostly in economy. The plethora of bloggers (this site included) that gush and gush on how great this business class is and that flying apartment seat/bed is makes me want to hurl. I have flown business class 6 times (all with miles) out of maybe 800 lifetime flights. Paying US$20,000 for a ticket from London to Dubai is criminal and there should be a 400% tax ($80,000) to help educate the poor.
The fact of the matter is that most of us never see in front of the “curtain” and are elated when we find out the schmucks in front have miserable lives…think Kardashian.