Scoot vs. Spirit: Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery?
Notice anything about the livery of Singapore's Scoot and Florida-based Spirit Airlines?
It's hard to miss.
Both airlines use bright yellow as a signature color and each has a stripped-down brand design.
And, as Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson notes in this video, there are plenty of other similarities between the two airlines as well.
Wilson notes that the airlines' cheeky ads look very much the same and that a pictogram of a man covering his private parts is part of both airlines' campaigns.
Is it just a coincidence that the brands are so similar? Scoot doesn't think so. But instead of hiring lawyers and issuing cease-and-desist orders, Scoot has taken a lighter approach.
"We're not mad," Wilson says in the video, "We're flattered. But if you're going to act like us, do it well."
In addition to the quirky video message, Scoot sent a blimp floating over Spirit's Florida headquarters with the message, "Hey Spirit, You can't have our Scootitude #FLYSCOOT," printed on the side. And to help Spirit get the details of Scoot's campaign down right, Scoot also sent Spirit a kit filled with the creative elements of its brand campaign.
This week's delivery of Scoot's newest 787 Dreamliner from Boeing's South Carolina plant is turning into another opportunity for Scoot to poke fun at Spirit.
Scoot has announced it will be naming its newest airplane "Inspiring Spirit."
"They say imitation is the highest form of flattery and we're certainly flattered that Spirit has recently changed their brand look and feel to something remarkably similar to Scoot's," Wilson said in a statement, "It seems only fair that I return the compliment by naming our newest aircraft after them. It's all in the, well, spirit, of fun."
Wilson has extended an open invitation to Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza to be on hand for the delivery of "Inspiring Spirit" and has offered to throw in lunch.
No word yet on whether Baldanza will accept the invitation, but Spirit spokesman Paul Berry declared Scoot's plane-naming announcement "fun and the type of provocative stunt we'd pull to get attention."
Berry added that "while there are similarities, our brand and concepts were developed independently. We're glad we found our doppelgänger, however, that shares our approach to saving customers money on air travel. High five, Scoot!"
Harriet Baskas is a Seattle-based airports and aviation writer and Paste BN Travel's "At the Airport" columnist. She occasionally contributes to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. Follow her at twitter.com/hbaskas.