Top of Mind

If you find yourself standing behind a bald man sporting an Air New Zealand tattoo on his bare pate the next time you're on line at a U.S. airport, you're probably not imagining it.

And yes, he's being paid to do it by the airline, which is running the offbeat promotion as part of a campaign to lure Americans to the warmth of New Zealand's “high season,” as they put it.

“Depart a Californian, return a Kiwi,” the campaign says, using the slang term for an NZ citizen.

It's definitely a novel promotional ploy defined by a new promotion category coined by the airline: cranial billboards.

Air New Zealand ran a similar stunt on its home turf last month, paying 70 men 1,000 New Zealand dollars ($660 U.S.) to stand around in three airports advertising simplified check-ins on their bald spots.

The airline held casting call events with a live band for the promotion at the three airports and shaved the backs of the heads of the winning candidates — unless they already had the bald profile — on the spot.

The tattoos fade or wash off after about two weeks, so the campaign and the term of employment for those presumably good-humored, tattooed gentlemen is decidedly temporary.

“It's a quirky campaign to show Air New Zealand's quirky spirit,” says Air New Zealand spokesperson Sara Dunaj.

Details about the imminent U.S. campaign — including airport locations — weren't available at press time, so you'll just have to keep looking up.