Etihad - The Home We Share

Etihad - The Home We Share

Middle Eastern airlines Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways strongly promote their international networks and their Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha hubs. However Emiratis themselves are both affluent and fond of travel , with 1/7 travelling at least once every few months.

Etihad recently targeted its home demographic with a patriotic marketing campaign timed alongside the UAE’s National Day celebrations on December 1. The cornerstone and namesake of the multimedia campaign was an original Arabic song called ‘Hayyakum Fi Darkum’ (Welcome to the Home We Share), with an accompanying music video.

The video highlights the best aspects of Emirati life. Powerful images include sweeping skyline panoramas, traditional musical instruments, recreational activities, Arabic calligraphy, children playing, business people travelling in Etihad’s premium classes, and more. The video features only brief shots of Etihad aircraft. Instead of being overtly promotional, the ad draws on national pride and celebrates the experience of being an Emirati. The music video aired on television, in movie theaters and was also posted on the Etihad YouTube channel, where it has received more than 250,000 views. A number of secondary “making of” videos were also produced to give people a glimpse into how the video was created and introduce the characters in it.

Finally, “Welcome to the Home We Share” was made available for download on iTunes, with sale proceeds going to the Red Crescent. Billboards for the campaign were erected in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai. Hayyakum Fi Darkum also played on national radio, and hashtag #HAYYAKUM supported the social media push. The whole campaign is hosted on a micro-site with suitably high production values.