Flying with Hapag-Lloyd Express can be as cheap as a ride in a cab. Thus it was almost self-evident to brand their planes to look like New York cabs and launch a claim, saying: “Fly for the price of a taxi!” To call people’s attention to this fact, HLX is ready to break new ground. This has lead to astonishing campaigns which use their environment to boost their advertising effect. People are reminded of the “taxi prices” of HLX for example at the petrol station, at the bicycle stand and on the street.

To enhance the effect of its advertising, HLX discovered new channels such as airsickness bags, breakdown lorries and petrol taps. Besides these ideas to surprise the public, HLX in one case even invented a new item to gain more advertising space: bags pulled over bicycle seats not only protected them from the pouring rain, but also reminded the bicycle owners and passers-by of a cheap alternative to escape bad weather.  The conventional channel of newspaper advertising was also used in a surprising way: the ad reflects most Germans’ critical attitude towards President Bush in a humorous way.