Virgin had Elle. Etihad has Dannii. Now Qantas has Miranda.
In the battle to retain its lucrative frequent flyer customers and reclaim some of the spotlight from a more youthful Virgin Australia, Qantas has signed supermodel Miranda Kerr for a new national ad campaign.
The airline wants to reach out to a younger generation and repair the damage done by last year’s shock grounding. Kerr will promote the Qantas Club network of lounges that cater to frequent flyers and business passengers in particular. She will appear on billboards and advertising in airport terminals and online, and probably in other Qantas campaigns in the next year.
The campaign featuring the West Australian model will cost an estimated $1 million or more and is part of Qantas’s biggest marketing push since the 2000 Olympics.
Kerr is also the face of print and TV advertising and runway shows for David Jones, which plans to promote a new tie-up with the Qantas Frequent Flyer scheme and its store credit card.
Qantas has not renewed a deal with John Travolta, perhaps the biggest celebrity tied with the airline. Virgin turned to Elle Macpherson, a long-term associate of founder Richard Branson, to launch its new uniform last year, while Abu Dhabi’s Etihad has used Dannii Minogue as a brand ambassador.
