Etihad Airways is set to launch an extensive worldwide campaign as the Gulf carrier gears up for the battle against the Qantas-Emirates partnership.
Designed around the theme ‘The world is our home, you are our guest’, the campaign is decidedly different to anything the airline has done before and plays up Etihad’s global image by showcasing how it draws inspiration from around the world to provide ‘signature moments’ on the ground and in the air.
The campaign kicks off with a slick TV commercial where a split screen juxtaposes Etihad’s onboard service with lifestyle scenes from international destinations, fine dining restaurants and five-star hotels around the world, and is set to the Bobby Darin tune Beautiful Things.
The commercial will air from March 3, although you can catch a preview below.
With footage shot in Sydney, along with Abu Dhabi, Bangkok and Prague, it will no doubt be seen by some as a response to the impending Qantas-Emirates alliance which will launch on April 1.
However Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer for Etihad Airways, is quick to point out that "having focused on product innovation and service excellence, the time is now right to make a bold and confident brand statement to the world."
The print campaign purports to feature regular Etihad 'guests' from various destinations – such as Mike Philips, shown above, who flies "on EY454 every second week" – although an Etihad spokesman confirmed Australian Business Traveller's suspicions that these people are in fact models, apart from Etihad Airways global ambassador and Bollywood star Katrina Kaif.
In addition to being the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad is also one of the world’s youngest airlines, having launched barely a decade ago in November 2003 and only reporting its first full-year net profit in 2011 under the leadership of Melbourne-born President and CEO James Hogan, a former Ansett alumnus.
"It is the goal of Etihad Airways to become the best airline in the world" Baumgartner explains, "Not the biggest, but the best. We have grown rapidly from small beginnings in 2003 to become the fastest growing airline in the world, and one of the most respected."
Etihad is also a major partner in Virgin Australia and holds a 10% stake in the airline, behind Virgin Group's 26% slice and Air New Zealand's 19.9% investment.
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2011
Total posts 359
They are welcome to tap into the Perth market. Qantas does not want it.
21 Feb 2012
Total posts 40
Why do you say this? Emirates and Qantas are planning on putting their A380s on PER-DXB for a while now, with the new Airport/Terminal Upgrades, they'll be making some double storey A380 capable aerobridges.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 Sep 2012
Total posts 21
Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not sure that Qantas will be flying their A380s to Perth any time soon? Seems to me like they are ditching Perth because there are so many better international airlines serving the city.
21 Feb 2012
Total posts 40
Well, I can't confirm QF A380s, but Emirates, based on this article: https://www.executivetraveller.com/emirates-planning-perth-airbus-a380-flights-from-mid-2013
I'm sure if QF doesn't have A380s going PER-DXB, they will codeshare a couple on EK Metal to go PER-DXB.
More info regarding the new terminals: https://www.executivetraveller.com/perth-airport-s-700m-makeover-what-you-ll-see-and-when
10 Mar 2011
Total posts 526
Exactly right. Perth wouldn't have the demand for both Emirates and Qantas to offer flights to Europe and it is actually smart of Qantas to let Emirates fly there and just codeshare.
Interesting that it seems okay for Virgin to have no international flights to anywhere (and yes I am aware they have flights to LA and Abu Dhabi... but seriously... why bother!) and rely on Singapore Airlines and Etihad... but if Qantas do it people call say they are being abandoned. Double standards somewhere here I think.
05 May 2012
Total posts 32
Best ad they have done to date. Dovetails nicely with virgin Australia's campaign in terms of music etc
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 May 2011
Total posts 732
Very classy add, quite lengthy though so I wonder how they will cut it to air on tv (doubt they will pay for 1 minute of airing each time).
Does seem a bit heavy on First and Business class and more or less shows the "glamorous" side of travel, would have been good if they included a bit more economy stuff as opposed to all the Diamond Suite, steak to order and Spa treatments.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
01 Apr 2011
Total posts 43
Until they fix their cramped horrible seating in Economy, I will never travel on Eithad again. Had an awful flight from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur in December.
Why do they waste money advertising crap service, instead of installing decent seating that would bring the punters in by word of mouth alone.
21 Apr 2011
Total posts 42
Because its filling the front cabins that makes them money, and thats the market this ad targets.
If every airline could fill their premium cabins, fly with an empty economy cabin and uplift equivalent weight in freight, they'd be laughing to the bank.
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