Emirates 2006 FIFA World Cup global advertising campaign finds favour with football fans

Based on Emirates' hugely successful and award-winning 'Keep discovering' campaign, the advertisements speak the language of the fans and the passion of football in a truly international and global context. The message of the campaign is that wherever you go and whatever cultural background you have, you'll find people all around the world who have one thing in common: 'We all speak one language: Football'.

The campaign, developed by Saatchi & Saatchi in Germany, has been winning plaudits with fans in online polls across Europe. Readers of Italy's 'W&V', the leading trade press for marketing, advertising and media, and Germany's 'TV Spielfilm', the leading magazine for TV programmes in Germany, have both voted the advertisement as among their favourites on air.

'TV Spielfilm's' description of the campaign's success was simply summed up: 'Sun, beach, fun - there is a language everyone understands'.

Emirates' sponsorship of the 2006 FIFA World Cup is a major part of the airline's ongoing marketing focus of using sports sponsorship as a way to reach it passengers and to connect directly with them and to maximise exposure of Emirates as a truly global brand - and this campaign perfectly reflects that strategy.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates' Chairman said: 'For Emirates, sponsorship is an important means of reaching out to our passengers worldwide, through sharing and supporting their interests. Our massive investment in football underscores our confidence in the continued international growth of Emirates, and in the growth of Dubai as a regional hub for business, tourism and sports.'

The multi-million dollar advertising campaign which comprises TV, cinema, print, outdoor and online, taps into fans' passion for football as well as reinforcing the nature of Emirates as a global airline through clever and original visuals.

The television ads can be seen across the globe on CNN, BBC World, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Euronews and Eurosport, among others, and will run from now until the end of March. The print campaign which runs in conjunction with the TV ads will be seen in target publications around the world including 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph', 'The Sydney Morning Herald' and other major international newspapers.

The advertisements, which are set in four different destinations which Emirates flies to and were rolled out through Emirates' impressive global network of agencies, represent key regions including Dubai, South Africa, Hong Kong and Italy. In each case the story revolves around travellers discovering they have one thing in common which unites them with the locals in each destination - a love of football.

Mike Simon, Emirates' Senior Vice President Corporate Communications, had this to say of the campaign's success: 'Emirates believes that sport transcends cultural and language barriers, and is an important means of fostering interaction between the different peoples of the world. Football, with its widespread popularity worldwide, is the perfect vehicle for this purpose - and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the world's largest sporting event, is the perfect environment.'

'The ads are themed around the image of a person running with their arms outstretched, mimicking an aircraft, which cleverly combines the culture of football with the awareness of Emirates Airline. Our Corporate Communications Department is working closely with more than 100 PR and advertising agencies around our network to optimise our investment in the sponsorship of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.'

The campaign perfectly combines the excitement and emotional aspects of travelling and having new experiences, with the joy and excitement of the world's most popular sport. The message of 'Keep discovering' could not be clearer or more appropriate for Emirates - the first-ever airline partner for 2006 FIFA World Cup.