Braniff The End of the Plain Plane EOTPP Introductory Film 1965

Published 2024-05-01

The End of the Plain Plane Campaign was basically conceived by Ms. Mary Wells and her staff at Jack Tinker and Partners, Braniff's new ad agency. She suggested that Braniff's staid conservative image be replaced with brilliantly painted airliners and an image produced by style, fashion, and art. The company dropped the Airways moniker and became known simply as Braniff International to clearly denote where the company intended to fly.

Emilio Pucci was hired to create uniforms for all of Braniff's customer service personnel and famed New Mexico architect and Herman Miller designer Alexander Girard was tasked with re-branding the entire airline. It was a resounding success and it garnered Mary Wells accolades throughout not only the Madison Avenue community, but the airline industry as well.

Some of the most memorable ad copy was produced by Jack Tinker and later by Ms. Well's own company Wells Rich Greene, Inc., as a result of Braniff International's bold new image. Examples were: The End of the Plain Plane; Why take a Plain Plane to South America; Introducing the Air Strip; Acapulco, Where the Jetset Turns off its Motors" and "We're not against Souvenir Hunting (Little Old Lady)." The advertising won numerous industry awards which was made possible by Braniff's budget being doubled by Braniff President Harding Lawrence from $3 million USD per year in 1964, to near $6.5 million USD by 1966.

How successful was the End of the Plain Plane Campaign? The impressive statistics from the first year of its existence are as follows:
Revenue Passenger Mile growth grew from a rate of 14-percent in 1964, to a whopping 32-percent by late 1965, and an industry leading 43-percent in the First Quarter 1966.

Braniff's Net Profit rose 58.2-percent to 9.4 million USD with Operating Revenues increasing 17.4 percent to 129.2 million USD, in 1965.

Aircraft utilization increased from 8.5 hours per day to 11.25 hours.

Increased Braniff's advertising and publicity budget from $3.2 million USD to $5.5 million USD in 1965, or an increase of 68.9 percent; increased the passenger service budget from $8.8 million USD to $10.2 million USD or a 16.7 percent increase; and an increase of 14.6 in reservations and sales budget from $8.8 million USD to $10 million USD, over 1964.

Capital expenditures increased eight times from $5 million USD to $42 million USD.

In 1965, Braniff stock ranked 17th best stock on the New York Stock Exchange increasing in value from 27.75 per share to 72.56 per share or a massive 162.6 percent increase. Mr. Lawrence's former employer Continental Airlines was the only US airline to top Braniff with an increase of 166-percent.

This EOTPP introductory film was the first glimpse that the public was given of the full extent of the changes to Braniff the campaign brought to the airline. From Alexander Girard to Emilio Pucci, this film is a gem of information and description of the most revolutionary airline reinvention campaign ever produced.

Braniff Airways, Incorporated, Copyright, Text and Video