The main objective of the 2024 Qatar Airways festive campaign was to amplify brand awareness and achieve record-breaking organic reach in the industry. The goal was to stand out from the clichés of traditional holiday campaigns and create a concept that reimagined the festive spirit in a fresh, unexpected way.
By avoiding familiar symbols like Santa hats and Christmas trees, the campaign sought to surprise global audiences with a bold, hyper-realistic execution that preserved the festive vibe while breaking away from conventions. This approach aimed to elevate Qatar Airways’ visibility and create a memorable connection with audiences worldwide.
Strategy
To maximize the impact, the campaign was strategically posted in collaboration across Qatar Airways’ and Vertex CGI’s social media accounts — Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. This collaboration brought the total combined audience to over 16 million followers, ensuring a powerful push through owned media. By aligning the release with the peak of festive season celebrations, we ensured that the campaign rode the wave of heightened holiday interest and online conversations, driving maximum reach and engagement.
Execution
The execution began with developing a detailed concept that captured the essence of the festive season while staying true to Qatar Airways’ brand identity. Through precise AI refinement, we visualized the idea, perfecting every detail to achieve hyper-realistic results. Each scene was carefully planned, using multiple camera angles to enhance believability. Showing the aircraft from various perspectives made it more likely for viewers to believe in the reality of the visuals.
Once the visuals were finalized, we brought them to life through AI and CGI tools, carefully animating each element. Silhouettes of people, service vehicles, and festive decorations were added to create depth and realism. Sound effects, including ambient airport noise and airplane engines on the runway, further enhanced the immersive experience. Additionally, we incorporated camera shake to simulate handheld smartphone footage, making the video feel even more authentic.
The campaign was structured as a two-part series. The first video introduced the festive aircraft parked at the airport, adorned with glowing holiday lights. This sparked intrigue and engagement, with viewers questioning, “Is it real? Can it fly? How does it affect aerodynamics?” Building on the overwhelming success of the first video, we released a second installment showing multiple illuminated planes taking off, flying through a sky lit up with New Year’s fireworks. This created a sense of continuity and kept audiences eagerly engaged with the unfolding story.
What Made It Unique
This campaign redefined festive brand activations by merging a daring creative vision with cutting-edge AI and CGI execution. Unlike traditional holiday campaigns, it delivered a hyper-realistic experience that resonated emotionally and visually with audiences worldwide.
One of the standout factors was the overwhelmingly positive feedback from viewers. In an era where AI-generated content often faces skepticism, our focus on cultural resonance, festive spirit, and flawless execution led to over 90% positive audience feedback. This unprecedented level of approval was achieved by deeply understanding the brand’s identity, capturing the festive vibe, and executing the campaign with unmatched quality.
By creating a multi-part narrative that blurred the boundaries between reality and imagination, Qatar Airways not only achieved record-breaking reach and engagement but also set a new benchmark for what holiday campaigns can accomplish.
500M+ Earned Media Impressions: Thousands of user reposts and mentions by media outlets and themed pages flooded the internet, turning the campaign into a sensation that significantly boosted brand awareness.
50M Organic Views in 48 Hours: Each video became an instant hit, driving a massive surge in views and engagement on the brand’s owned media platforms.
102M Total Views Across Owned Media: The videos collectively amassed over 102 million views on Qatar Airways’ social media platforms, setting a record among the brand’s campaigns.
#1 Most Viewed Festive Brand Video of 2024: The campaign became the most-reached festive activation of the year, outpacing all other brand efforts.
#1 Engaged Post in Qatar Airways’ History: The campaign achieved the highest engagement ever recorded on the brand’s social media platforms.
8.6M Engagements in Owned Media: Millions of likes, along with hundreds of thousands of comments, shares, and saves, highlighted the campaign’s extraordinary audience involvement.
90% Positive Feedback: AI-generated content often faces criticism on social media, but this campaign demonstrated that with a strong brand understanding and a compelling idea, the best audience feedback is achievable.
1,000+ Earned Publications: Featured by top-tier media outlets, including Tatler, The Peninsula Qatar, Doha News, and Bangkok Post, further amplifying its global reach and credibility.
