Dubai: They had a nice script and they wanted Jennifer Aniston and got her.
Now, Emirates’ first ad featuring the recently-married Hollywood star is out for everyone to see. And it’s loads of fun.
In the one-minute ad for the A380, Aniston is seen walking around an aeroplane looking lost. She then asks a group of flight attendants where the showers are.
“There are no showers here, ma’am,” says one of them, looking shocked.
“If there are no showers, I’m going to look pretty silly dressed like this going to the bar,” Aniston replies.
“There are no bars here,” the flight attendant shoots back. “But we have hot towels and a bag of peanuts.”
“Emirates planes have showers and bars,” Aniston tells them.
“This isn’t an Emirates plane, ma’am,” another flight attendant tells her as they all break into a laugh.
The scene then cuts to Aniston, in a first-class Emirates lounge, waking up from what seems like a nightmare. She’s then seen at the bar.
“I was on a plane and it was nothing like this,” she tells an Emirates flight attendant.
“Sorry to hear that,” he replies, with a smile.
Emirates confirmed in August they had hired the 46-year-old as the face of their global digital and television campaign, the first time the airline has ever collaborated with an acting star. Emirates has used the likes of Pele and Ronaldo in their ads before.
The commercial was directed by Oscar-nominee Bryan Buckley, known for his Super Bowl ads.
RKCR/Y&R London developed the concept while the script was a collaboration between the agency, Buckley and Emirates’ in-house advertising team.
Emirates has spent $20 million in securing TV spots worldwide for this campaign, which will have a 30-second and longer 60-second version.
“Jennifer Aniston’s appeal and effortless connection with a global audience makes her the perfect choice for our campaign,” said Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand.
"As one of the busiest women in Hollywood, Aniston, like many of our customers, enjoys downtime only when she is travelling. 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," Boutros added.
"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.”
The global digital and television campaign will begin in the United States and the UAE before being rolled out in November to other countries where Emirates has a big operational presence, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, India and Australia.