Ansett is back! Why this is an incredibly smart brand move

When I first saw the headlines everywhere “Ansett is back” my immediate reaction was “Why would anyone resurrect a brand that’s synonymous with collapse?”

Most people remember Ansett as the airline that spectacularly went under in 2002, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and 16,000 people unemployed.

So when Melbourne entrepreneur Constantine Frantzeskos bought the trademark and relaunched it as an AI-powered travel agency, my brand strategist brain started questioning:

“Does it still have emotional legacy or is it just synonymous with collapsing? I don’t feel that it has any brand value anymore – so how will that translate to the new business? But wait… doing this as a strategy and the way it’s all over the news – is this actually a great way to make noise and get attention to the new brand?”

That’s when it dawned on me. This might be one of the most brilliant brand moves I’ve seen.

Here’s what I realised:

This isn’t about the brand having value anymore — it’s about capitalising on it’s familiarity.

✅ He bought attention, not brand equity.  Yes, Ansett means “collapse” to most people. But it also means instant headlines. “Ansett is back” is irresistible clickbait that cuts through media noise like a knife.

✅ He skipped the hardest part of branding.  Instead of spending millions fighting for attention like every other AI travel startup, he bought his way to the front page. The controversy became free marketing.

✅ He doesn’t need to create space in people’s minds. The mental real estate already exists. Ansett has a slot in Australian consciousness. He just needs to build new associations with that familiar name, rather than starting from zero awareness.

✅ He’s mastered the bait and switch. The familiar name is the lead-in that gets attention. Then he quickly flips the script: “Yes, it collapsed, but this isn’t that Ansett. This is AI-powered innovation.” The curiosity gets them in the door.

✅ He can overcome the collapse association through re-education. Rather than fighting the negative association, he’s rewriting what Ansett means over time. It’s easier to reshape existing perceptions than create new ones from scratch.

✅ He leveraged established know, like and trust. Ansett wasn’t just any collapsed airline. It was trusted, innovative, premium. That emotional foundation still exists in collective memory – now he’s just rewriting the story.

The brand strategy breakdown:

This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about strategic shortcuts.

He used the Ansett brand as a springboard for instant trust, media traction, and emotional resonance, while immediately shifting the story to innovation, AI-based personalisation, and future-focused travel services.

It’s a masterclass in perception design.

Most brands struggle for years just to be remembered. He bought instant recognition and awareness then redirected it toward relevance.

What this teaches us about brand strategy:

Sometimes the smartest move looks like the riskiest one. Because in 2025, attention is the scarcest asset. And if you can buy 20+ years of brand equity for the cost of a trademark registration, while generating millions in earned media coverage – that’s an incredibly smart, strategic business move.

The question this raises for your brand:

Are you building awareness from zero when you could be redirecting existing perceptions?

Is your brand creating the kind of curiosity that opens doors? Or are you fighting to be heard in an oversaturated market?

Because sometimes the breakthrough is about reframing something familiar rather than building something new.

If your brand needs that kind of strategic repositioning, that’s exactly the work I do with founders who are ready to think differently about their brand’s potential.

Reply if you want to explore how to make your brand impossible to ignore – for all the right reasons.

Speak soon

P.S. The best brand strategies (like this one) often look controversial from the outside – this one really made me think! 
But when you understand the strategic thinking behind them, they’re actually genius. That’s the difference between a look and deeper brand strategy that moves the needle in your business.

You can have this level of strategy in your business too!

Get my strategic thinking to redefine your brand and take you from a look to a brand that works to grow your business. Click below to find out about my upcoming Build your Brand in a Day retreat.