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The new Emirates commercial featuring Jennifer Aniston

The new Emirates commercial featuring Jennifer Aniston

Old Oct 7, 2015, 10:57 am
  #61  
 
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Until now EK's premium product was presented by well dressed professionals with a smile. Don't know if they were actors or paid/volunteer EK employees, they did a great job.

After $20 Million, that image is replaced by someone in a robe having small talk at the bar.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 11:13 am
  #62  
 
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Originally Posted by avcritic
Until now EK's premium product was presented by well dressed professionals with a smile. Don't know if they were actors or paid/volunteer EK employees, they did a great job.

After $20 Million, that image is replaced by someone in a robe having small talk at the bar.
Nothing stands still in the world of advertising. Different themes for different times.

I assume the "well-dressed professionals" were depicted as crew ....? Well, the crew are still there on board all EK aircraft, and still well-dressed. And the majority - though, admittedly, by no means ALL of them - are professional.

Aniston was in a robe when she was about to have a shower. She was casually (but I thought smartly) dressed when she was at the bar. And yes, she was making small talk.

So ....a robe for the shower, and then comfortable clothing to make small talk at a bar. (who would have thought it ....!!)

Nothing unrealistic or over-hyped there. In fact.... a totally accurate picture of exactly what you can expect to find on an EK A380.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 11:58 am
  #63  
 
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Thanks for correcting the dress at bar. I cannot get the robe out of my mind. Do they really need to use that pajama. Even if it is the standard issue, killed the shot.

Just like everything else with EK. Actions are questionable and explanations are priceless.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 12:02 pm
  #64  
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Originally Posted by avcritic
In hindsight, EK should have hired JLaw in a positive ad campaign. Being young, hot and current, she will attract more backpackers looking for cheap tickets.
What kind of market do you think EK is looking for? I'll give you a hint, it isn't backpackers looking for cheap tickets. As a millennial myself, one who grew up during the Friends era, Jennifer Aniston is considerably more attractive and relatable to me than Jennifer Lawrence. The additional thing is that far more Gen-X individuals can also relate to JA as opposed to JL. I also have a number of international friends and family, and it's amazing how the Friends series is globally recognized and quotable across so many different cultures. A few of my friends were actually able to learn decent amounts of the English language watching sitcoms such as Friends, The Office, etc.

I think you've completely missed the demographic EK is looking for here.

Originally Posted by nk15
I agree, it was a negative ad focusing on other airlines, instead of highlighting EK's product. I didn't feel I wanted to try the product. EY's Nicole Kidman ad and even Korean Air's "it's all about you" ad are superior.
I don't find it negative at all. For anyone who's ever had to endure a US airline on a flight longer than two hours, it's very accurate and familiar. Surly crews, poor catering, drab/ancient cabins, etc. Is there exaggerated staging for the purpose of advertising? Of course, I challenge you to find me an ad that doesn't have that. The only negative thing here is an accurate portrayal of US airline cabin.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 12:09 pm
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It's an advert, albeit quite humorous.

When the ads come on, I check my email, make a cuppa, grab a beer, change the channel etc etc.

Spend the money elsewhere and the planes will still be full.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 12:17 pm
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My two favourite quotes from the wonderful world of advertising (I can't claim credit for either of them....) :

"Half the money spent on advertising is totally wasted. The problem is working out which half it is"

and ....

"The only institution which makes money without advertising is the Royal Mint"
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 12:31 pm
  #67  
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Originally Posted by cmd320

I don't find it negative at all. For anyone who's ever had to endure a US airline on a flight longer than two hours, it's very accurate and familiar. Surly crews, poor catering, drab/ancient cabins, etc. Is there exaggerated staging for the purpose of advertising? Of course, I challenge you to find me an ad that doesn't have that. The only negative thing here is an accurate portrayal of US airline cabin.
Here are the problems in my view. First, at a visceral level it doesn't work. There is no much wow/glitz factor, even though the product is actually glitzy, they made it look worse that it actually is, lol. Second, the actual product is on screen about 8 seconds total (a narrow view of the bed in 0:39-0:43, and a wide view shot of the bar right after, with the rest being the bar conversation close-up). The first 40 seconds are drab and dreary ("the nightmare"), evoking negative visceral reactions. I am sure this was meant to be associated with the US3, and then be contrasted to EK. However, I don't think this works, the "grey" first 40 seconds permeate the feel of the ad and are eventually associated with EK. At best, the message is "fly EK that is at least tolerable, compared to the competition".

Contrast that to the KE campaign, where the product is actually made to look better than it is, with strong positive visceral associations with aspirational images and sounds everywhere.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 12:50 pm
  #68  
 
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Originally Posted by cmd320
What kind of market do you think EK is looking for? I'll give you a hint, it isn't backpackers looking for cheap tickets.

I think you've completely missed the demographic EK is looking for here.
Friends is all about the life of bunch of folks sharing one NY apartment. Its audience are someone looking for free sitcom on network TV and probably using rabbit ears to receive OTA transmission. Sure show is popular because it is a sitcom.

How are you going to use a character from such sitcom to attract premium pax. Just because of her personal wealth!!!

Compare that to EY's ad. Its all about premium product, elegance everywhere and a hint of target demography with Nicole Kidman wearing glasses. You don't need a robe and loofah to attract that age group.

I am sure $20M is a drop in the ocean for EK with $2B PR budget. Lets hope next ad is better.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 1:17 pm
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nk15 : I honestly believe that you really are over-thinking this.

When you talk of the EK advert having 'problems', my hunch is that these 'problems' all pretty much reflect your own pre-existing perception & opinion of EK rather than the likely reaction of the average viewer simply watching the ad for what it is.

You say .... " at best the message is" ....." Fly EK that is at least tolerable, compared to the competition"

Well, the message is certainly a simple one ; but it's much more along the lines of ......

"Fly Emirates and you can enjoy a bed, a refreshing shower, and even unwind at a bar. And you will have a much better journey than with your usual carrier"

I looked at the Korean ads.

Nice enough, but then every airline promises great food & glamour. They were undoubtedly more frothy & fluffy than EK's ad, BUT they didn't say what precisely would be different on a KE flights compared to your 'usual' airline.

"Excellence in flight" they said. Hmm. Nothing new there as far as promises go !

And I did think there was a fair bit of waffle on the voiceover ......

"Experiencing a new level of global connectivity" ..........

"Life on a whole new scale " ...........

I have relatives/contacts who say they want to fly Emirates some day just to try out the showers and the bar on the A380. And the more people become aware of the existence of such facilities, the more are likely to want to enjoy them.

But I don't believe I have ever encountered anyone who say they plan to change airlines so that they can "experience a new level of global connectivity" or enjoy "life on a whole new scale".
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 1:39 pm
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One must remember that advertising, especially for premium brands is not always entirely about selling the product, increasing exposure or acquiring new customers - instead the aim is to foster brand loyalty amongst existing customers by making them feel part of an exclusive group and to assuage any lingering doubts about having purchased said product in order for those customers to spread the word/retain future bookings.

Thus poking fun at US3 carriers is the point, to try and convey the message of "well done for choosing EK, here's a reminder as to what you're missing"

The major and most obvious example of this is luxury motor car advertising - I leave it to readers to research the various automobile manufacturer marketing chiefs spelling out this strategy
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 1:45 pm
  #71  
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That's what I am saying subject2load, EK is underselling a superior product and KE is really glamourizing their probably pretty good product. Forget the wording, it is about the images, sounds, visceral reactions, and hidden messages. JA' s "dumb looking" expressions are not doing it , IMO. But anyway, it is an ok ad.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 2:47 pm
  #72  
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Originally Posted by avcritic
Friends is all about the life of bunch of folks sharing one NY apartment.
You must never have seen the show...
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 2:54 pm
  #73  
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Originally Posted by nk15
Ok, this is how it's done, epic glam, by Korean Air:
Except for the fact that those ads have not generated column inches or attention from mainstream media outlets around the globe.

I get that some of you dislike the ad because it's "not selling the product" or "it's not how you promote an airline". But that is exactly why it works so well and is getting so much attention.

There is clearly an audience for the Nicole Kidman type ad - but it's generally just the captive audience onboard EY planes, trying to fast-forward past it.

Hate it all you want...but EK's humorous little whimsy with Jennifer Aniston has already outperformed any other ad/campaign/style championed in this thread.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 6:29 pm
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On the issue of target advertising, at most 67 planes (not discounting two class A380) have 14 F seats each. So the shower option is available to 800 passengers out of thousands fly EK. Roughly 100 US pax have access to this feature. Focus solely on Showers is borderline false advertising and just one more complaint by US3 to FTC. Yes there is a fine print, but FTC is taking this kind of bait and switch ads seriously. Recent ruling against satellite TV service providers comes to mind.
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Old Oct 7, 2015, 7:39 pm
  #75  
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Originally Posted by avcritic
On the issue of target advertising, at most 67 planes (not discounting two class A380) have 14 F seats each. So the shower option is available to 800 passengers out of thousands fly EK. Roughly 100 US pax have access to this feature. Focus solely on Showers is borderline false advertising and just one more complaint by US3 to FTC. Yes there is a fine print, but FTC is taking this kind of bait and switch ads seriously. Recent ruling against satellite TV service providers comes to mind.
LOL! The level of delusion is remarkable.

I'm sure if there was a bait and switch argument to be had, the ridiculous "up fares" offered by AA and DL would take the forefront.

There's also a pretty clear remark at the bottom of the screen about the showers being limited to F on the A380 during the middle portion of the ad.
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