Emirates’ latest multi-million-dollar global ad campaign has just launched after more than 14 weeks in the making and countless hours of CGI trickery. Teams of artists and filmmakers in Dubai and London have been working on the campaign which brings Gerry the Goose to life.
The final commercial is due to be aired in 25 countries throughout September and will follow Gerry as he chooses to ‘Fly Better’ onboard one of Emirates’ flagship Airbus A380 superjumbos.
Gerry gets to enjoy Emirates’ new Premium Economy cabin in the commercial, while he leaves other migrating geese in his wake as they endure a long and tiring flight by wing.
It’s a fun commercial, but it turns out that the concept is actually far from unique. In fact, Air New Zealand has had a CGI goose called Dave flying on its aircraft for the last six years.
Back in 2016, Air New Zealand unveiled Dave the Goose in the Australian market as part of a local advertising campaign to appeal to long-haul customers. Even the name of the brand campaign had similarities: “The Better Way to Fly”.
The plot of the commercial saw Dave, who was voiced by Australian actor Bryan Brown, choose to fly to the United States with Air New Zealand rather than using his own wings. Eerily similar to Emirates’ commercial.
Thankfully, Air New Zealand has seen the funny side and is now trolling Emirates with a new video starring Dave.
“You’ll be pleased to know that I finally convinced my old mate Gerry to stop doing his own flying, like me,” Dave says in the latest video that was posted on Air New Zealand’s Twitter.
“The only problem is he got the wrong airline. What are you doing on Emirates, Gerry? It was supposed to be Air New Zealand. You know, the ones with the delicious cuisine, Kiwi hospitality and those clever advertising campaigns”.
“Oh well, better luck next time Gerry”.
Richard Billington, Emirates’ senior vice president of marketing & brand suggests, however, that Dave could be convinced to fly with Emirates next time.
‘Gerry is a savvy traveller who knows what he wants and where he wants to go- but he’s adamant he’ll do it in style, with luxury and comfort as a priority,” Billington says.
“Having witnessed his seamless travel experience, we are confident that next time his friends will choose to Fly Better.”
