Competitor's ad boosts Mango's recall

"It is a rarity that a competitor values its opponent to such an extent that it spends significant amounts of advertising budget on generating brand awareness for them," says Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout, "and while our competitor may claim to operate 80% of all flights to and from Lanseria, at least our 20% is on time.

"In a market where every airline tastes like chicken, it is important to taste like beef."

The airline does not intend to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority but is encouraging increased rotation of the advertisement. "The more airtime our competitor's ad enjoys, the better for us." While the airline may not return the favour and develop a campaign to benefit its competitors, Bezuidenhout says he admires his competitor's gesture.