Watch the ad above!

Have you ever wished you were rich? If so, this marketing campaign is for you. The whole thing screams to those who are not wealthy.

We picked this one particular ad in the campaign that follows a man who is obviously annoyed with the world of economy seating. As a boy kicks the back of his chair, he begins to daydream of the divinely luxurious first class section just out of reach.

It’s a short ad that ends with a reality check for the character. When the flight attendant swipes the first class section curtain shut in front of the man, the message “First Class is There to Remind You You’re Not in First Class” is displayed. It’s quick. It’s timing is perfect. It also plays off of financial middle-class frustrations and portrays those in first class as elitist snobs.

In fact, the entire ad campaign from E*Trade uses this approach. Pitting two social and economic classes against each other gives them the ability to remind those without that they could have more. And guess what… E*Trade is the answer.

Overall, we appreciated the cleverness of the ad. This one, more than the others, has a better sense of humor about it. Maybe it’s because we (all those who don’t regularly fly first class) have all thought about how nice it would be to have the disposable income necessary to travel this way. Even though the others in the series are a similar concept, they require a bigger leap for the viewer to imagine themselves in the main character’s shoes.

What did you think of this E*Trade ad?

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