The other day I found myself pondering out loud on twitter about the Face of the Flight Centre. I was worried if a) he a real pilot and/or b) he was drunk. Either way, I concluded, his passengers and crew were totally fucked.
You can imagine my surprise when Flight Centre itself got back to me on the matter. “Hey NDM, the Flight Centre pilot really is a pilot!” they exclaimed.
While I appreciated their enthusiasm, I felt the answer definitely dodged the drinking issue. Hmmm.
So I sent the Flight Centre the following tweet: “His hat is ever-so-slightly askew. I’m concerned he’s been drinking. Or is this the fashion for pilots these days?”
“No, no, askew is all the rave. I askew – is there any other way 
” they replied.
Well it certainly was good to know that the Flight Centre PR department had got the Pilot’s back. So I told them so, adding: “I’m going to wear my hat at a jaunty angle as a mark of my respect.”
At which point, they sent me a new version of my profile pic, complete with a pilot’s cap set at a distinctly jaunty angle. Which I immediately put up on my twitter profile along with the message that The NDM was for clearly sale and for a pretty cheap price, as it turned out.
End of story.
Or is it? I have to say that this whole little episode brought me Such Joy. And it got me thinking about other questions I would like to get answered by opening them up to the Twitter-verse:
- Bert Newton: Have you got cling film across your face or is that just how you look these days?
- Coles: Did you ever consider renaming the “You’ll Love Coles” range so it was a bit more in line with the Australian market? The word “love” is a bit strong for the average Aussie, don’t you think? Perhaps you might consider “You’ll quite like Coles Butter” or “You really won’t mind Coles Pork Sausages” or even “Your life won’t be completely ruined by Coles Two Minute Oats” .
- Cornettos and Drumsticks: what’s the bloody difference? No, actually, don’t tell me. It just doesn’t matter. Same applies to Paris Hilton’s extended brood of handbag-dwelling half-rat/half-dogs and the Olsen twins.
- Brangelina: do me a favour. Get rid of all the nannies and assistants and then talk to me about what it’s like to have a large family and whether you’re planning to adopt more. I’d be curious to know. No, really.
- Lindt Chocolates: I’m no business expert, but I’d expect you’d make more money if, having gotten all those top chocolatier chefs wearing fancy uniforms and making all your chocolate by hand in the galley kitchen of a mansion in the Swiss Alps, you didn’t then go on to sell a 100g bar of MINT INTENSE for less than two dollars at the local Safeway. Just sayin’.
And that’s just for starters. Stand by for further adventures of the NDM as she boldly goes where no Stay At Home Mum dares to go… across The Twitter-verse….
It is amazing how much more credibility you have with a captains hat on. Have you thought of wearing it around your children?
Nice. I could ask them to address me as “O Captain, my captain.”
And another question in the Bert Newton mould…are they putting vaseline on the lens everytime they shoot an image of Sigrid Thornton? She looks more and more blurry every time I see her…..
I was totally impressed with Flight Centre’s twitter conversation with you. They handled a ‘brand slander’ with a humourous light touch, completely winning you over, with some free advertising thrown in. Brilliant! I’m looking forward to more NDM.
and now they have a blog post dedicated to them! i’ve never had that, and i’m related to you! hit ‘em up for some free flights i say!
Not having gone down the twitter track, I really have no idea how it works.. What I want to know is: how does Flight Centre get wind of the fact that you’re twittering about them? Do they have some alert system at PR HQ where red lights start flashing and alarm bells start ringing when someone, anyone, across the globe mentions their name??! Freeaky.
I think their legal team was the first to pick me up for “Brand Slander” (thanks for the term, L-Beer) but handballed it to their PR department when it became apparent I only had three followers on twitter and therefore didn’t pose any actual risk.
Coles Biscuits- They’re OK, I spose
Coles: It’s better than the one across the road
And since the one across the road is probably a Coles, too…
NDM, You’re really tempting me to join this twitter phase.
Great post. Have to say I often get a fright when I see the Flight Centre captain outside their stores – you see him out of the corner of your eye in a Westfield and you think someone is watching you and there he is as waxy and plastic looking as Bert Newton on 20-1
*LSSHIMNS*
Laughing So So Hard I May Never Stop
Hope you didn’t mind the RB – Re Blog? If so let me know and I shall delete it from Twitter psot haste
[...] One of my favourite Flight Centre engagements so far has to be with @theNDM which you can read here. [...]
Once again, a brilliantly funny post.
I’ve often thought that John travolta and the flight centre man, are in fact, the same person.