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Sama
In a region renowned for its wealth, the creation of Saudi Arabia’s first low-cost airline presented an unusual challenge. Not surprisingly, as a culture unfamiliar with the concept of low-cost air travel the idea was met with some scepticism, the consensus being that cost cutting would mean compromising on both service quality and, more importantly, safety.
Our challenge was to create a truly Arabic brand that could change perceptions, challenge convention and clearly demonstrate that low-cost doesn’t mean poor quality.
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An aspiring brand for an aspiring nation
We developed and tested several naming options before choosing ‘Sama’, which simply translates as ‘the sky’ but has deeper connotations of ‘to be elevated’, ‘the almighty’ and ‘optimism’. The symbol, a star or spark of light set against the deep-blue Arabian sky, represents the optimistic and contemporary service the airline delivers.
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A dynamic visual language
A simple yet striking palette of cool, refreshing blues and the dynamic pixilated pattern — a modern take on the traditional geometric patterns so prevalent in Arabic culture — formed the distinctive graphic language.
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Standing out in crowded skies
We developed a distinctive and sophisticated aircraft livery, which helped the brand stand out in a fiercely competitive market, reinforcing the quality of the brand against other low-cost operators. From the initial concept to the setting-out drawings and finally overseeing the spraying of the planes themselves, we were involved in every stage of the brand’s development.
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Above and beyond
We developed the new cabin interiors, using leather seats to reflect the quality of the service and give a cooling respite from the desert heat.
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Creating a ‘buzz’
Before the service launched, we created this film to announce the brand to the media and public, the music and pace of the animation emphasises the aspirational and poetic quality of the name.
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A wider brand experience
Air travel can be stressful, so it’s important that a brand creates an easy and engaging experience for customers. From staff uniforms to check-in desks, we created a seamless brand journey across every touchpoint.
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Small things, big difference
We were responsible for ensuring that every aspect of the brand was ready for launch, even down to the luggage tags.
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Passenger engagement
On-board magazines have long been accepted as an effective way to communicate with customers during the long periods of inactivity of a flight, we developed an engaging magazine that added depth to the usually sales driven literature common on most low-cost flight.
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First contact
The web is the ultimate business tool; we created a dual-language web site with online booking facility.
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A wider reach
We created principles for all of the marketing and advertising of the new brand, working with DDB to ensure that the advertising was on-brand.
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Protecting the brand
Ensuring a brand can develop with a business as it grows is essential; we developed a flexible set of guidelines that will allow the brand to do just this.
