Have you seen this ad? See it! It will make you smile

Not sure how many people have seen the latest TV commercial by the little known Turkish Airlines. The ad features (my personal favorite) Kevin Costner traveling on a flight and receiving attentive service. Nothing surprising about that you say. The actor falls asleep and as the stewardess is picking up his pen he wakes up and signs an autograph for her but she walks away with an indulgent yet quizzical look. As the actor alights he runs into a family posing for a photograph and pushes himself into the frame much to the surprise of the family. As the ad progresses you are wondering why are none of these people delighted at the prospect of such a close encounter with a super star, till you see Kevin looking into a mirror at the airport. The reflection is really that of just an ordinary man- the commercial comes to an end with the voice over saying- “Turkish Airlines, feel like a star!” Mystery solved and you are left with a smile on your face.

It is one of the better commercials I have seen in a long time and it works at several levels. First it tells a story. David Ogilvy in his landmark book on advertising espoused the usefulness of the story-telling devise in TV commercials. The story of a man traveling on a plane and touching the lives of people along the way while lost in his fantasy world, is short but effective. The choice of the celebrity is also bang on. Kevin Costner is the evergreen rogue of Hollywood but he has not been on the front line for quite some time. So while he adds glamour to the commercial his persona does not overpower the storyline. Also the use of celebrities in airline campaigns is a rarity (I can’t think of any other example off hand) so he is able to stand out.

The punch line is in the same vein; it is short and clever and conveys the message without being verbose and taking away from the message. All in all a sixty second piece packed with an entertaining plot, finishing in style with a definite message, and using a celebrity to break through the clutter. Fly Turkish Airlines and feel like a star!