Emirates - Jennifer Anniston

Emirates - Jennifer Anniston

Emirates has gone straight for the jugular, poking fun at North American airlines with a new TV advert starring America’s sweetheart, Hollywood actress Jennifer Anniston.

The advert begins with Anniston wrapped in a bath robe and wandering around an airplane in search of the shower and the bar. She encounters some not-so-friendly flight attendants (with American accents) who inform her that there aren’t any onboard. Anniston is confused because Emirates planes have these amenities.

The flight crew then proceeds to laugh at her mockingly. Just then, the actress is startled awake, relieved to find herself in an Emirates first class suite. In the next scene she is standing at the Emirates A380 first class bar, telling the bartender all about her awful nightmare.

Though it is a bold move and one sure to infuriate the US’s big three carriers (American, Delta and United), the advert’s 4.5 million YouTube views are undeniable proof that, sometimes, this tactic can yield results… or at least get people talking.

The controversial advert has received tons of international press. Everyone from Hello Magazine in the UK to Fox News in the US and brandchannel.com offering their two cents.

Emirates currently has its own starring role in a bitter dispute between the “big three” gulf airlines (Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad) and America’s three majors (American, United and Delta), which makes the timing and the message of this spot all the more newsworthy.