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Take a journey of the mind with SWISS

26th May 2009 Print
SWISS and top Swiss movie director Marc Forster (whose credits include the latest James Bond film Quantum of Solace) are making a short film. ‘LX Forty’ also features Forster’s first-ever appearance in front of the camera, inviting the viewer to join him on a personal “journey of the mind”.

‘LX Forty’ can be viewed online at swiss.com/myflight from 3 June.

There has been extensive speculation on the secret project between SWISS and Marc Forster in the past few weeks. Social platforms such as blogs, chatrooms, Facebook and Twitter have been awash with rumour. Now it’s official: SWISS and the star Swiss Hollywood movie director have got together to make a short film. Its content is centred on a number of personal life questions that Forster tends to carry with him as he goes on his travels. He also flies SWISS whenever he can, and enjoys the private space and individual service he is offered on board.

Individual attention to the customer is a cornerstone of the SWISS service product. And film director Marc Forster, a native of Davos who confirmed his place among the Hollywood elite with 2008’s James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, can attest to this. “When I’m aboard SWISS, I feel like I’m at home. I can just switch off and follow my thoughts. Sometimes there’s a little sadness in there; other times it’s more an anticipation of what’s awaiting me at my destination. I wanted to capture these moments in a short film that focused on me alone with myself high above the clouds. And when it came to the airline to use, it just had to be SWISS.”

Forster has chosen a philosophical approach. “I saw two ways of doing this: with comedy or with depth,” he explains. “Comedy is often seen as an escape from reality, so I chose the other way. It’s more my style, and it’s more the SWISS style, too.”

SWISS warmed to Forster’s ‘LX Forty’ idea right from the start. “We’re delighted,” says CEO-designate Harry Hohmeister. “The fact that a leading Hollywood player with Swiss roots feels at home with us is a telling confirmation that our quality drive of the last few years is really bearing fruit.”

That drive has extended not only to new products in the air and on the ground but to individual customer service, too. “This is where SWISS, through the tireless efforts of its people, creates genuine added value for its customers and stands out from the rest,” Hohmeister continues. “Marc Forster is an international figure, a straight and honest individual who also represents his home country. And that, too, makes him a valuable ambassador for SWISS.”

‘LX Forty’ can be viewed at swiss.com/myflight from 3 June. A shortened version should also be shown as a TV ad from the beginning of July. The accompanying ‘viral marketing’ campaign has been co-developed with the Publicis advertising agency.

The film, which was produced by Zurich-based Ping Pong Film, was shot at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles and made with partners who included the Kansas City-based MK12 animation house and music producer Brian Reitzell. The ‘LX Forty’ title is taken from the flight number of SWISS’s service from Zurich to Los Angeles.