Emirates - Don't Stop Me Now

Emirates - Don't Stop Me Now

Did you know that the Queen song ‘Don’t Stop me Now’ is meant to be the most uplifting and feel good song of the past fifty years? This is according to neuroscientists who found the tune had the perfect mix of tempo and lyrics.

This insight has led to Emirates using it as the soundtrack to its latest $15 million ad campaign. According to the airline, the ad campaign campaign seeks “to inspire travel and promote the airline’s extensive network of global destinations including its home and hub, Dubai.”

The ad, shot by award-winning director Vaughan Arnell, uses camera work that transitions between key destinations and Emirates’ onboard features (e.g. a business class cabin and the same passenger with his partner on a yacht) in “a picture within a picture” story-telling style.

The one-minute spot culminates in Dubai, with a soundbite on how Emirates connects the world via Dubai. The campaign launched on 15 October and is being promoted worldwide in key markets.

“Emirates and Dubai have always been inextricably linked,” Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand, said.

“At Emirates we believe that people, regardless of their backgrounds, have a strong desire to travel and experience the world for themselves. They want to be inspired, to discover, and to have fun.

That is why we chose to use the Queen soundtrack, and a creative approach that was uplifting and energetic, to remind people of the excitement of travel.”

The result that ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ is ultimate feel good song, according to science, comes from cognitive neuroscientist Dr Jacob Jolij, who found that a fast tempo (about 150 beats per minute), a major key and happy lyrics are the key common elements of a feel-good song.

Dr Jolij’s study was indeed PR-led and was done to generate the “survey said” style press pieces you see in newspapers on behalf of brands day in, day out.

However what’s notable is that Emirates didn’t commission the study. Rather this was a project originally paid for by budget electronics brand Alba, whose products you can only buy at British discount retailer Argos.

Emirates then effectively co-opted the findings for its own campaign.

Key Take-Away

On its own, this is a great ad as it showcases the range of destinations Emirates flies to, different cabin features as well as its Dubai home all within one minute.

However, the use of ‘Don’t Stop me now’ and the statistic that it is the best feel good song of all times, has turned the ad campaign into a media story that will generate a lot more exposure (and many more views) for Emirates.

At first we assumed that the research behind the stat was conducted by Emirates as part of the campaign, and most of the media who picked up on it seem to have made the same assumption. However it was of course done by Alba, and Emirates has successfully made the research its own - at no cost.

Another example of brands co-opting other brands’ PR stunts is the ‘most miserable day of the year’ (also known as “Blue Monday”) story you see doing the rounds on behalf of different travel companies every January.

Blue Monday has been a thing for UK PR’s for the best part of a decade, but it originated following a 2005 press release issued by Sky Travel.