For its first new campaign to reach North America in a decade, Australian airline Qantas decided to go big. So it turned to agency partner Convicts, and some homegrown Hollywood heroes, to bring “Australia In The Sky” to life.
Both Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann (“Elvis,” “Moulin Rouge!”) and Academy Award-winning costume and production designer Catherine Martin (who is married to Luhrmann and picked up Oscar wins for her work on “Moulin Rouge!” and “The Great Gatsby”) helped steer the project as creative consultants. The selections seem a natural choice, given the trademark cinematic flair of their creative partnership and experience with branded content (working with brands including Channel and H&M), as well as their Aussie roots
The hero ad, running in both 30- and 60-second iterations, also features another famous Australian familiar to moviegoers. Actor Chris Hemsworth (“ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Thor: Love and Thunder”) provides voiceover for the spot.
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“Australia In The Sky” opens with Hemsworth inviting viewers to “let the magic of your Aussie adventure begin above the clouds,” before depicting an idyllic, luxurious flight featuring introductions to Australian wine and cuisine onboard by friendly flight staff, interspersed with footage from scenic locations around Australia. including Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Melbourne’s Federation Square, and the Great Barrier Reef.
According to a release announcing the campaign, the Aussie talent featured in the campaign runs even deeper, with the ad soundtracked by Australian duo Angus and Julia Stone , and a wardrobe from a series of Australian designers.
Qantas’ “Australia In The Sky” campaign is running through next June in Australia, the U.S. and U.K., across channels including TV, online video, and Meta social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, in Australia.
The spot ” was designed to especially appeal to a North American audience, according to Qantas, amidst heightened demand for travel to Australia in the U.S. According to data from Tourism Research Australia, 663,000 American tourists visited Australia for the year ending March, 2024 – a 47% increase from the year prior. This put the U.S. behind only China and New Zealand, with the country also eclipsing the latter for the amount tourists spent on their trips down under.
“Be it through our warm, friendly crew or the premium Australian wine and produce we serve, we want our customers to feel like they’ve started their holiday in Australia from the moment they step onboard a Qantas aircraft,” Qantas Group CMO Petra Perry said in a statement. “It’s easier than ever for US travelers to take a break in Australia, with the majority of our services connecting the two countries in a single hop.”
The campaign arrives alongside the 70th anniversary of Qantas flying to North America this year, and ahead of the airline stepping up its flights to the continent. Qantas’ New York – Auckland – Sydney service is slated to increase from four to six times per week to meet demand for the holiday period, beginning October 27. The airline is also planning to introduce nonstop flights between Sydney and New York through its Project Sunrise, anticipated to debut in 2026.