One Advertising Agency Handles Competing Israeli Airline Credit Card Campaigns

This summer saw intense advertising competition among Israeli airline credit card clubs, notably Play Card linked to El Al's frequent flyer program with Isracard, Play All by CAL and Issta, and Sky Max by MAX company. Initially, each campaign was managed by a different advertising agency: Pitch (Gitam) for Play Card, Ments for Play All, and McCann Tel Aviv for Sky Max and Max Travel.

However, a recent Play Card commercial was produced by McCann Tel Aviv, the same agency handling Sky Max, creating a unique situation where one agency manages campaigns for two competing airline credit cards. El Al, the parent company of Play Card, acknowledged working with multiple agencies and considering consolidating some activities but declined to comment on McCann's dual role. MAX and Pitch also chose not to comment.

McCann Tel Aviv responded that it serves many brands with strict separation of teams, information, and workflows to ensure independent service for each client. They emphasized that the visible competition between brands on screen reflects their commitment to each brand's success.

This development highlights the complex dynamics in Israeli advertising, especially in the competitive airline credit card market, where one agency manages rival campaigns while maintaining internal safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest.