Northstar

AIRLINES www.travelweeklyweb.com Etihad unveils global ad campaign ABU DHABI – Etihad Airways, the national carrier for the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled its global brand advertising campaign on March 3, 2013, which was also aired live via a webcast. This is the airline's first major campaign in three years. Themed "The World Is Our Home, You Are Our Guest", the campaign will be supported with regional and international television, print, outdoor and digital media advertising. Central to the branding campaign is the TVC which is created by Etihad Airways' international advertising agency, M&C Saatchi and produced by Rogue Films in London. Directed by David Edwards, the TVC was filmed in Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Prague and Sydney between mid-December 2012 and mid-January 2013. Using a split screen technique, which draws a sleek juxtaposition between the airline's award-winning on board service along with lifestyle scenes from international destinations, fine dining restaurants and top hotels around the world, the TVC illustrates the holistic image of the carrier, having established itself as a world leader in hospitality. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' Chief Commercial Officer, said: "This is our first brand advertising in many years. Having focused on product innovation and service excellence, the time is now right to make a bold and confident brand statement to the world. "This is not a rebranding exercise, but a continuation of our brand story drawing from the values of our home in Abu Dhabi and our inspiration from around the world." Etihad Airways' CCO Peter Baumgartner, with vice-president, Commercial, UAE Hareb Al Muhairy The TVC uses high production values and a soundtrack of Bobby Darin's 1967 classic, "Beautiful Things" to create a visually stunning TVC that brings to life the flair, glamour and inspiration of Etihad Airways and its home of Abu Dhabi. "This particular commercial really reflects the confidence and enthusiasm that the Etihad Airways management team has in their airline. The commercial takes the image of Etihad Airways to a new level and highlights the wonderful product they have," said Tom Dery, M&C Saatchi's Worldwide Chairman. Lufthansa gives back SINGAPORE – Lufthansa German Airlines decided to give back through the donation of 30,000 paper notebooks for school-going children in India, Thailand and Sri Lanka. This is the equivalent of what the carrier has saved with 2.5 million of paperless, mobile boarding procedures done via smart phones. Lufthansa started on going fully paperless during the period of December 2012 and the end of January 2013. A total of 50,000 exercise books will be distributed; 30,000 of which will to the Asia-Pacific region where the airline supports projects in India, Thailand and Sri Lanka via the charity of Lufthansa staff "Help Alliance". Twenty thousand notebooks will be donated to projects in South America and Africa. Mobile check-in however, is nothing new to the airline. The procedure, available for smart phone users, were put in place in 2008, in its aim to save paper, be customer friendly and increase efficiency. "Our customers worldwide enjoy digital services as they improve their travel www.travelweeklyweb.com experiences. Lufthansa together with its airport partners and authorities is working very hard to make ground procedures increasingly seamless, stress-less and paperless"' says Steffen Harbarth vicepresident, Asia-Pacific, Lufthansa German Airlines. While this paperless technology is available at more than 130 airports globally, customers can still use other ways to checkin for their flights, with self-printing boarding pass via its website and the airport counters. "We intend to offer our customers a choice of convenient procedures - as they like it. Asian customers who are especially living and enjoying digital lifestyles can experience our fully paperless procedures at the Asian Lufthansa airports in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo Narita and our hubs in Germany" said Harbarth. The 30,000 paper notebooks for the Asia/Pacific region will be distributed to schoolchildren in need via Lufthansa Help Alliance projects in Bandarawella, Sri Lanka, Pondicherry and New Delhi, India as well as Pattaya, Thailand. In order to support the local economies all exercise books will be bought locally. The Help Alliance was founded by Lufthansa staff independently in 1999 by 13 Lufthansa employees. Today the airline group's charity unites nearly 40 aid initiatives around the world. MARCH 2013 | TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA ■ | 11

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