The timing of this is sort of funny because just last night, I shared Etihad’s awesome The Residence, First Apartment, and Business Studio promotional ads. As I said in the post, if there’s one area Etihad excels in, it’s marketing. They really, really know how to market their products. Like, really well.
Today Etihad has unveiled their latest “Flying Reimagined” TV commercial, featuring Nicole Kidman.
Here’s how Etihad explains the new advertisement and their choice of casting Nicole Kidman:
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer said: “Etihad Airways is constantly pushing boundaries, taking inspiration from the world to provide a superlative in-flight experience for our guests. We are rewriting the rule book and reimagining flying by breaking away from convention and leading the way in innovation, design, style and hospitality. This new campaign has succeeded brilliantly in bringing our unique brand and service ethos to life on film, in print and on digital channels.
“Nicole Kidman, as a globally respected artist, was the perfect voice and face for our story, and embodies worldly sophistication, intelligence, originality, and elegance – values which form the foundations of the Etihad brand.”
It’s a stunning ad, visually and in terms of the message itself. Is it realistic or does it represent reality? Not really. I do think Etihad is an innovative airline (as we’ve seen with their amazing new A380s), but I think they’re giving themselves a bit too much credit. Then again, which airline doesn’t (other than American, which uses the slogan “Going For Great,” basically admitting that they aren’t great)? 😉
Still, I think the commercial is sufficiently over-the-top so that it’ll attract attention and make people want to fly with Etihad, even if they’re not in first or business class.
And I’m also quite pleased that they replaced Dannii Minogue with Nicole Kidman. Dannii’s level of exuberance sure made it seem like she was “sitting” on something other than an airplane seat.
What do you think of Etihad’s new advertisement? Is it captivating, too aspirational to be useful, both, or somewhere in between?
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