Sharon Horgan's plane speaking for Aer Lingus

If you're in the UK, it's called a dummy. In the States, it called a pacifier. In the UK, it's a strimmer. The US, a weed whacker.

And so goes the premise for this new campaign in which Aer Lingus is looking to become more well known in the US.

Enter Sharon Horgan, who's meeting with the Aer Lingus team to discuss how the airline can make a bigger impression in North America. She helpfully points out that while 'Lingus' may mean 'fleet' in Irish, Americans often think it’s something else entirely. Her advice is simple: call Aer Lingus what it is, ‘The Irish Airline’.

Created by Uncommon Creative Studio London and directed by Rachel Stubbings through Merman, the campaign comes as research conducted by the airline found that two thirds of Americans [66%] don’t know what Aer Lingus is; with some thinking it’s a pasta brand, a wrestling move and even a type of dog.

“I am delighted to get the opportunity to work with Aer Lingus, Uncommon Creative Studios and Merman’s fantastic director Rachel Stubbings to bring this funny script to life," said Horgan. "All the years of jokes about what Aer Lingus means have finally paid off.”

“Most Americans don’t know that Aer Lingus is an airline, let alone an Irish one," added Julie Matheney, ECD at Uncommon Creative Studio. "So, we decided to use comedy to lean into that, with someone Americans already love; Sharon Horgan. Americans and the Irish both love making fun of themselves, so this felt like the perfect introduction for the brand in the US.”