Eighteen months into a time in history when we are still forcibly disconnected from being with loved ones in our own country, let alone the world over, emotions continue to run high as we anxiously wait to find out when we will be able to share travel experiences and see the special people in our lives in-person again.
Yesterday, Qantas virtually blew up the internet in Australia when it launched its mega vaccination incentive – Be Rewarded, featuring one big kahuna of a tear-jerking ad in the form of its ‘Fly away’ video.
The mega campaign is rewarding COVID-19 vaccinated Australians by recognising their role in helping the country get out of lockdown with some huge prizes to be won in their biggest giveaway ever.
If you haven’t seen the video yet for the campaign, watch on and prepare to shed more than a tear.
Need a moment after watching? It’s ok, we understand.
The pandemic has torn the world apart and I’m not ashamed to say that this old softie shed plenty of tears after seeing it.
In light of not seeing my mum in England for three years, being unable to attend my step-father and a close friends funerals last year in the UK and missing numerous milestone occasions in various countries since our borders closed, the ad pushed all my buttons.
Seeing the outpouring of responses online, obviously, the ad triggered a nation of similar stories too.
We are, after all, a country where nearly half of us were either born overseas or have a parent who was. And that’s before we then factor in close and extended family and friends living all over the world.
Everyone has their own deeply personal story of loss in the pandemic.
If time is our only true currency in life, surely denying people being with loved ones or sharing travel experiences together while the clock of life ticks on (and sometimes not) is the biggest torment of all?
This is why for me, this ad is brilliant for all of those reasons and more.
As pure advertising goes it ticks every single box on this one minute and twenty-eight-second journey of hope and optimism.
We’re introduced to likeable characters sharing relatable experiences via an entertaining and engaging story that delivers high emotion and feeling to make it memorable.
The real crew members and brand placements to fly the Qantas flag are clever and authentic while Tones And I‘s anthem builds the ad up to an epic crescendo.
But most of all, there’s a clear purpose in its call to action and message.
Australia! Get vaccinated and you’ll be able to fly to be with loved ones again, travel the world and help Qantas get back on its feet as an airline.
Aside from the bigger picture of protecting the communities we live in and desire to visit, could there be a more potent message to help promote the vaccination program?
Not to mention putting the spirit back into our national carrier and the travel industry simultaneously?
Compare this ad to the federal government’s previous vaccination ad efforts and perhaps they should have employed the same ad agency as Qantas.
So what did Australia think of the video? Just 24 hours in, the video on Qantas’ YouTube channel has already notched up 225,000 views.
Our Karryon social media channel have been awash too with a torrent of emotional comments, heartache and sorrow at seeing the video and exposing the whole gamut of feelings.
With comments ranging from “Didn’t even last 3 seconds before crying”, to “Yep in tears. The worst was the shot of the cabin crew hugging in the terminal!”, “All the feels. Amazing. The day just can’t come soon enough,” and “Always been prone to tears so grabbed a tissue before I hit play… just as well,” the powerful ad hit home as a reminder of everything we’ve missed since the pandemic began.
In so many ways, this ad is what we all needed to give us some optimism in what is still the worst of times for a nation divided by lockdowns, politics and anger at our individual and collective plight from the devastating effects of 18 months of battling the pandemic.
It’s reminding and urging us to take action with a common goal akin to Tourism Australia’s It’s our best shot for travel campaign or the recent #Givetravelashot or #Betravelready movement.
The ad will have its critics too of course. Could another airline have created an ad like this? Maybe. Have any? Not that I’ve seen yet.
For me, the build-up of magic moments before take-off and flying away is what nails the impact.
It’s the joyful crew reunion hug in the terminal, the boarding scene of the couple on their way to their wedding in Singapore, the knowing smile from the pilots to each other, the family on their way to Disneyland excitedly shrieking, “Wow, we’re taking off!” and of course, our quiet farmer on his way to see who we assume is his young daughter in London.
“We’ll be there soon,” says the female crew member to the man as he turns away from looking at a photo of his daughter.
Let’s hope so.
“So I had a dream that I’d just fly away,” says Tones and I in the song.
I hope that for all of us in Australia, and beyond, that dream will turn into reality really soon.
For more info on the mega incentive, head to qantas.com/berewarded