Face to face vs conference call fight it out

Conference call provider Powwownow uses 'vandalised' Flybe ad for its campaign

Conference call provider Powwownow has taken on Flybe’s recent ad campaign ‘Business is Better Face to Face’ with a cheeky campaign of its own. In a ‘defaced’ version of the recent Flybe ad, which encourages business travellers to fly to meet a client or supplier face to face, Powwownow urges businesses to consider the environmental impact of taking a plane to a meeting and points out the cost savings that can be made by replacing a face to face meeting with a conference call.

CEO of Powwownow, Andy Pearce, says: “As one of the little guys we wanted to create a tongue in cheek response to the aviation industry’s insistence that we all fly to meetings. In my mind conference calls allow you to reach the same decision at a fraction of the cost and SMEs should not be bullied into making loads of unnecessary flights. I think these campaigns are a disgrace. Not only are they effectively scaring small businesses into paying huge amounts of money to travel to meetings when it’s so unnecessary, the environmental impact of these actions will be with us well after I have left the planet.

“While I understand that occasional face to face meetings are required in business, I have built four successful businesses using conference calls. In my mind the same decisions are reached at a fraction of the cost.”

The Flybe advert states: Conference calls DON’T win business. Powwownow’s advert emphasises the cost-savings of doing business over the phone, quoting the cost of a one hour conference call for six people as £2.58.

In response, Niall Duffy, Head of PR and Public Affairs at Flybe, says: “They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so we were touched and honoured that Powwownow took the time and effort to nip and tuck our adverts. There’s room for both of us in an economy that’s struggling to get out of recession, but let’s play fair when it comes to criticising our environmental credentials.

“The Stern Report confirmed that emissions from aircraft are less than 2 per cent of total carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, with this share expected to reach up to 3 per cent by 2050. And a BBC report into a Southampton University study shows that our aircraft fleet is not only one of the youngest in the world but can actually be a better eco-choice than a Toyota Prius!

“Sure, we use conference calls as well but, as was shown by the overwhelming response to our recent competition when we asked for concall horror stories (see our website*), there are plenty of people who wouldn’t know a deal needs to be sealed with a handshake, not a phone call.

“If Powwownow are serious, as they say, about ‘the truth’, then perhaps they should join with us to call for a ban on all commercial aircraft that are more than 15 years old.”