Emirates marketing on steroids: Jetman flying in tandem with an A380, a safety demo in a soccer match, Jennifer Aniston and more

Through some slick content marketing efforts led by social media, Emirates has leapfrogged competition in just a month. Instead of just promoting routes or showing pretty photos of their A380s – stuff that every other airline does – Emirates has put the creative hat on, and surprised and delighted people around the world recently. The unpredictable, fresh content is setting the airline apart from its Middle East competitors, and legacy airlines in general. This used to be the realm of the Southwests and Air New Zealands of the world. Welcome to the club, Emirates.

Emirates Airbus A380 and Jetman Dubai formation flight

You’ve probably dreamt about flying like an airplane. But have you ever imagined flying next to a plane? Emirates and Jetman Dubai partnered to do just that. Two men, with jetpacks attached to their backs, flew in tandem with an A380. The whole stunt was so well choreographed that it left aviation experts in awe. Most were left wondering, “how did they avoid the wake, or getting sucked into the engines?” The videos on Facebook and YouTube are inching toward a million total views in just over a day. Others, like Airbus, have previously filmed tandem flights, but nothing beats two men flying next to an A380.

The timing couldn’t have been better. This comes just a couple of days before the Dubai Air Show – and the Emirates marketing team seems to have stolen the show just as the world’s aviation top honchos descend upon the city. Here’s a look at the jaw-dropping video of the Emirates Airbus A380 and Jetman Dubai formation flight. The behind-the-scenes video is just as fun.

Benefica safety video with Emirates

Just a week ago, Emirates’ crew demonstrated a new version of the “safety video” Live in front of 65,000 Benfica fans, with a twist – it wasn’t about the flight, but about the soccer match they were about to watch. The video of this demo has garnered well over a million views since it was posted – raising awareness about the airline’s flights to Lisbon. You probably won’t see the video on your next flight, but it sure did light up the faces of those in the stadium, and those watching online.

30 planes for 30 years

A couple of weeks back, Emirates turned 30 years old – quite amazing how they have become the largest international airline in the world in a short span. To celebrate, the Emirates marketing machine partnered with Mike Kelley, who gained fame for spending 8hrs at LAX straight, to create a famous composition of every airplane taking off. ‘Emirates30’ (used as the cover image for this article) captured 30 Emirates aircraft departing Dubai International during the 7am departure wave, in one composite image. It showed the growing stature of the airline, in a very different light.

Jennifer Aniston mocks other airlines

After watching the latest efforts by the Emirates marketing team, the Jennifer Aniston spot, in hindsight, feels the “most normal” of all. But interestingly, it was anything but. The advertisement featuring the Friends star relied on an emotion seldom tapped well in marketing – anger. In the spot, she is furious that there’s no shower and no bar on the flight. Ultimately, she realized that it was just a nightmare, and she’s indeed on an Emirates flight with these amenities. The video has almost five million views on YouTube.

All these efforts are in addition to their two A380s painted in special livery to promote the anti-poaching message for United For Wildlife, their long-running #BeingThere that showcases crew in different parts of the world and their active sports sponsorship activities like the Rugby World Cup.

The Emirates integrated marketing team, including advertising and events/sponsorship, has given us a glance of what they are capable of. Let’s hope that this is just a glimpse of what is coming our way from Emirates in the future. Kudos to their recent efforts.

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