Nicole Kidman is the new face of Etihad Airways luxury

GLAMOUR, luxury and elegance: Of course an up-market airline like Etihad would choose Australia’s Nicole Kidman to be their ‘face’.

GLAMOUR, luxury and elegance: Of course an up-market airline like Etihad would choose Australia’s Nicole Kidman to be their ‘face’ and global ambassador.

Etihad Airways may only be 12-years-old, but it launched a mega luxe global campaign in Abu Dhabi this weekend with the worldwide premiere of its new television commercial.

Nicole Kidman is both star and narrator of the TV commercial that is more like a very short and sumptuous feature film than any old cash-strapped television commercial.

Shot on-board Etihad Airways’ new flagship Airbus A380 as well as landmarks in Abu Dhabi, the TVC also features a digitally created scene of Kidman in the interior of the soon to be opened Louvre Abu Dhabi, which is the futuristic brainchild of celebrated architect Jean Nouvel.

Yup, definitely no expense spared with this campaign.

Room to move: Nicole Kidman on an Etihad plane for a new advertising campaign. No, that’s not the economy seat.

“Etihad Airways is constantly pushing boundaries, taking inspiration from the world to provide a superlative in-flight experience for our guests,’’ says Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer.

“We are rewriting the rule book and reimagining flying by breaking away from convention and leading the way in innovation, design, style and hospitality.

“This new campaign has succeeded brilliantly in bringing our unique brand and service ethos to life on film, in print and on digital channels,” the statement adds.

“Nicole Kidman, as a globally respected artist, was the perfect voice and face for our story, and embodies worldly sophistication, intelligence, originality, and elegance — values which form the foundations of the Etihad brand.”

While the opening scene shows Kidman flicking through the pages of an inspirational novel at the Strahov library in Prague, airline aficionados and plane travel enthusiasts will be much more riveted by the look of the cabins and the service.

There is an extraordinary look into The Residence by Etihad — a private, three-room living space which features white glove service and a ridiculously comfortable looking double bed in the bedroom. The price? Well, umm, pricey.

In fact, Australian talent features big-time in the campaign. The concept was created by M & C Saatchi Australia while the soundtrack was specially commissioned by the airline and composed by Ramesh Sathiah, who is the creative director and composer at Sydney-based audio design company Song Zu.

The soundtrack was conducted by Roger Benedict of the Sydney Scoring Orchestra, a group drawn from the elite musicians of the Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber, and Australian Opera Orchestras.

“On the completion of a campaign I’m often asked what inspired me,’’ says Tom McFarlane, founding creative director at M & C Saatchi Australia.

“The answers are many and varied, but in this case the inspiration came directly from the product itself. Who could not be inspired by the sheer elegance, style, and dare I say it, reimagining of this remarkable aircraft? Hopefully, all of which we have captured perfectly in this campaign.”

While the Middle East based Etihad Airways only began flying in 2003, by 2014 it had 14.8 million passengers.

It currently has a fleet of 111 Airbus and Boeing aircraft and more than 200 aircraft on order.

While the airline can’t promise you’ll be flying high with Ms Kidman, she made it look like a mighty luxurious and glamorous way to do it.