Etihad Airways

In 2015 Etihad via M&C Saatchi was launching a new livery and positioning and was looking for a brand anthem to encapsulate the essence of the airline.
The challenge was to create a piece that would give ‘a nod to the region but at the same time be as equally appealing to the ear in Italy or India’. And because the music needed to live beyond the film, it had to be just as enjoyable if heard whilst boarding the aircraft or relaxing in an Etihad lounge.
Finally, it had to be distinctive enough to become recognized and loved as the ‘Etihad music’.

As the brand music was composed before the visuals, our key creative anchor point was the evocative script as well as the cultural touchpoints of the region. We set about trying to find a motif that would capture the essence of the brand, which reflected it’s Arabic heritage as well as a forward-looking international outlook. The selected piece was a cinematic score, peppered with Arabic musical elements that formed the perfect accompaniment to the imagery and brand. 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.

The brand anthem has fulfilled its task of living beyond the film. It has been used onboard and on hold for over five years. The extended boarding music has around 1.5 million views on YouTube attracting almost daily comments from passengers saying how much they love the music and its intrinsic connection with the brand.