New Ryanair ad tells it straight!

OK, so it's not a real ad for Ryanair! But it could be, couldn't it?

Sure, the service is basic, but how else can a company provide a service at such low prices without doing a bit of trimming here and there?

The "design brief" for this advert could be that:

The design is inspired by the previous advertising campaigns by Ryanair that deliver a direct message in a humorously cheeky and unequivocal style.

Following on from the previous campaigns that poked jibes at the opposition, this design focuses on the company's policy of offering a bare-bones service that allows the price to the consumer to be slashed, but this time focusing on its own pricing policies.

The message conveyed is that the responsibility is on the customer to use the options supplied by the company to get the cheapest available flights on the market. In other words:

Saving money on air fares is in your own hands!

After much criticism over perceived hidden and extra charges, the advert spells out that if the customer wants luxuries,  wants to carry more than hand baggage, use the airport check-in, or wants staff to print out a booking form, then the customer should be prepared to pay for the privilege.

The style is deliberately retro to suggest the back to basics approach of the Ryanair travelling experience. The 50's style of the poster ironically becomes fashionably up-to-date when taken out of context, contributing to the cartoon-ish, tongue-in-cheek style of self-promotion much favoured by Ryanair and its chief executives.

Now where did I keep my own tongue?