Norwegian’s “this or that” ads use small travel annoyances to sell choice
Norwegian’s 10-film campaign uses simple “this or that” choices and warm humour to build preference, paired with broad channel bursts.
Picking an airline rarely feels like a big emotional decision until you are mid-journey, stuck with a tiny compromise you cannot undo. That is the mood Norwegian is playing in with a campaign built around everyday travel trade-offs, framed as moments where you wish you had picked differently.
In its latest work, Norwegian leans on quiet, sly humour and simple “this or that” visuals to turn those compromises into a brand point of view. The company positioned the campaign as part of building longer-term preference, not just chasing tactical, sales-led messaging.
Table of contents
Jump to each section:
- What Norwegian is doing in the campaign
- Why humour is doing the heavy lifting here
- What the “broad channel strategy” signal means
- What marketers should know
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What Norwegian is doing in the campaign
Norwegian is running a 10-film series created by Oslo agency Try and directed by Stylewar through Bleck Film. The films use a stripped-back, visual “this or that” choice to suggest that certain frustrations and compromises around travel do not have to be accepted.
The approach is intentionally unshowy: it relies on relatable human situations, small observations, and a warm tone rather than big claims. The company described the work as a way to reinforce the feeling that Norwegian is a smart choice.
Why humour is doing the heavy lifting here
The creative strategy here is less about explaining product features and more about shaping how people feel when they are making a choice. Airline decisions are often loaded with practical considerations, so humour becomes a shortcut to emotional connection.
Norwegian’s brand team explicitly tied this to long-term preference, arguing that tactical communication will remain important, but that brand personality and tone of voice are what help them stand apart. The campaign’s humour is meant to land in those “good, funny, and sometimes frustrating” travel moments people recognise instantly.
What the “broad channel strategy” signal means
Norwegian also described using a broad channel strategy “in bursts throughout the year” to reach as many people as possible. That phrasing suggests the campaign is designed to work as repeatable brand seasoning, not a one-off spike.
For marketers, the interesting part is not the media plan detail (which is not specified), but the intent: consistent, recognisable creative that can return in waves, keeping the tone familiar while the specific “this or that” situations rotate.
What marketers should know
Small, familiar moments can be a stronger brand asset than big promises, especially in categories where people already expect functional parity.
1. Preference can be built in the margins
When a product choice is packed with considerations, brand feeling can become the tie-breaker. Humour and warmth are tools for earning that tie-breaker status over time.
2. Simple formats scale better than complex “explainers”
A “this or that” structure is easy to repeat across multiple films without needing a new concept each time. It also keeps the idea legible in short-form placements.
3. Tone of voice is a strategy, not a garnish
Norwegian framed its personality and warmth as a point of difference, not just a creative style choice. That is a reminder that consistency in voice can carry brand memory even when offers change.
4. Bursting implies you are planning for recall, not just reach
“Bursts throughout the year” reads like a commitment to returning to the same creative world. That can make each new wave cheaper to understand for the audience because the pattern is already familiar.
Campaigns like this work when the audience recognises themselves in the setup before they notice the brand at all. The humour has to feel observational, not salesy, so people accept the message as part of the everyday travel conversation in their heads.
For marketing teams, the broader lesson is that you do not always need more information to persuade, you sometimes need a clearer emotional signal. In crowded, consideration-heavy categories, a repeatable creative format and a consistent tone can do real work in building default preference.
