RENEWAL OF THE AIR FRANCE BRAND: RESULTS FROM 4 YEARS OF COLLABORATION WITH DESGRIPPES GOBÉ

Renewal of the Air France brand: Results from 4 years of collaboration with Desgrippes Gobé

(Paris, November 2003)

Air France decided "to make the sky the best place on earth", and Desgrippes Gobé was chosen to make reality of this dream

Paris, November 20, 2003 – Desgrippes Gobé, one of the world's leaders in design and consulting for image strategy, was chosen in 1999 by Air France to carry out the new concept of the brand. The agency mobilised about forty people, and collaborated with a further fifty who were directly involved. This mission was of an international scope, and has affected the entirety of Air France airplanes, rooms and lounges.

The mission? "To make the sky the best place on earth"! The whole project of recasting the brand identity included:
global management of the brand
visual and editorial standards
harmony of cabins and lounge architecture
airport signage
internet, intranet and extranet sites

The leading European company in terms of traffic, always in the forefront of elegance, desired to rethink and reflect upon the global quality of its customer service and image. Each resulting novelty is a wise blend of the refined standards of "lounging" and the audacious talents of the "French Touch" in design.

The objective is to give new life to the emotional dimension of the ties that unite the traveler to the brand, from the beginning to the end of its service: from ordering tickets (Internet site) to the flight (cabin harmony), by way of passing through the airport (signage) and the waiting period (lounges). Desgrippes Gobé has made sure that luxury influences the smallest detail.

As conductor of the project, Desgrippes Gobé called upon a team of recognised specialists, including Eric Gizard for the global cabin harmony, and the outfitting and accesorisation of first class and business areas. Alain Doré, Creative Director for Desgrippes Gobé, co-ordinated the complementarity of the different components of the new Air France image. For François Caratgé, General Manager of Desgrippes Gobé, this sum of talents has allowed Air France to become endowed with the genuine character of the brand, and to expand its personality both in itself and in relationship to other airline companies.

The tight collaboration between the Air France teams of Communications and Brand Management led to winning the « Grand Prix Stratégies Design 2003 » award. "This coherence within the global management of the Brand gives full measure to its success", confirms Air France.

The first newly equipped airplanes will begin flying in March 2004, and the deployment will be completed in summer 2005. At that date, the Air France fleet will include 84 long-distance carriers wearing the new offer's colors (of which 69 will be transformed existing airplanes, and 15 new planes delivered with the new equipment).

The Internet site's new generation has just been put on-line for the American public, and the French version will follow in the beginning of 2004. Its evolutions in 2003 - redesigned home page, promotions, reservation procedure - has already strongly contributed to increasing on-line sales.

Desgrippes Gobé has designed the style of the global cabin harmony as well as the outfitting and accesorisation of seats in First and Business classes (l’Espace Première and l’Espace Affaires).
Translation of French luxury, the First class cabins have been conceived for the ultimate traveler's comfort.
The Business class has been conceived for allowing the traveler to best manage his time: possibility of connecting to Internet all around, optimal technology...

Desgrippes Gobé has also created a new lounge concept, the first example of which is presented in Terminal 2E at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle: the First class lounge is arranged over 250m2 to welcome 48 passengers, and the Business lounge is equipped to receive 368 passengers over 1,800m2. The brand's 54 lounges throughout the world will be redesigned according to this model. These new areas evoke the design of luxury hotel lobbies.

This project is a soft and gentle revolution made of materials, shapes, lighting, and discreet technology which express the French Touch of the new design and sets the new codes of French elegance.
It has been honored by the profession since it led to the agency's winning the 2003 Grand Prix Stratégies for global design, awarded on November 19th.

In February 2004 the newly designed B2C website was awarded with the TopCom gold award for its consistency with the global brand management program.

Desgrippes Gobé has also received the TopCom 2003 bronze award for the SkyTeam's brand presence and identity programme, by creating a "label" identity through the "link of blue ribbon" on all publication supports of the entirety of the Alliance's companies.