Emirates has fired the latest shot in the battle of celebrity endorsements with a new US$20 million global advertising campaign featuring actor Jennifer Aniston.
The US-based actor, best known for her portrayal of Rachel in the long-running sitcom Friends, was named as the airline’s brand ambassador in August.
The 30- and 60-second television advertisements will initially be seen in the United States and United Arab Emirates, before showing in key markets such as Australia, France, Germany, India, Italy and the United Kingdom, Emirates said in a statement.
The advertisement features Aniston in a bathrobe being mocked after asking for directions to the showers and bar on board a non-Emirates flight. Later, she wakes up in an Emirates first class seat realising it was just a dream, or nightmare.
“In a departure from the usual airline industry ads, we chose to take a humorous approach to showcase the amazing products we offer on board,” Emirates divisional senior vice president for corporate communications, marketing and brand Boutros Boutros said in a statement.
“We couldn’t think of anyone better suited for the role than Jennifer Aniston and we wrote the script with her in mind. Her professionalism and comedic talent shone on the set and we are very pleased with the outcome.”
Emirates, which had football (soccer) stars Pele and Christiano Ronaldo as brand ambassadors in the past, is one of several airlines around the world that use celebrities for promotional purposes.
While Qantas has Hugh Jackman in its books and Nicole Kidman spruiks for Etihad, Turkish Airlines has used basketballer Kobe Bryant and football (soccer) star Lionel Messi in a series of advertisements, British Airways signed up Orlando Bloom to promote the oneworld alliance member and Korean flag carrier Asiana worked with Gangnam Style singer Psy.
The full advertisement can be seen here.
