It has been thirty-five years since Qantas made the Peter Allen anthem, I Still Call Australia Home, its own. The Monkeys has reawakened the song, the spirit and the advertising format that boosted Qantas’ renown. The new campaign has launched as Australia reopens. Amping up the fame factor are Kylie Minogue; Hugh Jackman; Ash Barty; Adam Goodes; Troye Sivan; Bangarra dancers; swimmers, Bronte Campbell and Ellie Cole; and Aboriginal Elder Rene Kulitja. accompanied by Qantas staff, Olympians and the Qantas Choir. A new arrangement of the song features the vocals of a new generation of the Australian Girls Choir together with National Boys Choir and the Gondwana Choir.
Qantas began using the song in 1987 and an updated TVC was launched in August 1994 to coincide with the Commonwealth Games which were held in Canada. The Qantas Choir first featured in the advert in 1998. Qantas has used various versions of the I Still Call Australia Home advert over the years, most recently in 2009, but this is the first time the airline has recreated the entire original TVC concept. (Watch the three commercials at the end of this story.)
The advert was filmed pre-COVID at locations around Australia, from the spectacular Hutt Lagoon in WA to the jagged cliffs of Cape Raoul in Tasmania. Scenes were also filmed in Melbourne, Uluru, Hobart, Brisbane, Sydney, South Australia’s salt lakes, Longreach, the Whitsundays, Los Angeles, Tokyo and London.
Qantas Group chief executive officer, Alan Joyce, commented, “The last major Qantas advert came as the country was rolling up its sleeves to be vaccinated so we could all reconnect, and it really struck a chord. Now that borders are finally open, and staying open, this is the perfect time to relaunch this Peter Allen classic as the national carrier’s anthem.
“The full version of this advert is effectively a short film that highlights Australia’s stunning natural beauty and unique culture while celebrating the incredible resilience that has really shone through recently. After a very difficult two years, we’re focused on recovery and have a lot of exciting things in the pipeline, including several new international destinations, decisions on new aircraft and recruiting more people.”
Former Australian of the Year and former AFL footballer Adam Goodes was filmed for the advert waist deep in Bondi Beach’s Icebergs ocean baths in the middle of winter. He commented, “I’m honoured to be involved in something that celebrates our unique country and culture and will hopefully help the recovery of tourism operators by inspiring travellers to get out and explore all Australia has to offer.”
The Monkeys co-founder & group chief executive officer, lead at Accenture Interactive ANZ, Mark Green, stated, “Working on a new version of such an iconic campaign to showcase Australia alongside some truly inspirational Australians was an exciting challenge, and it’s even more exciting to share it with the world. We worked hard to stay true to the emotion and enormous sense of national pride this campaign has always inspired and incorporating real vision of a family reunion at the airport gave the advert a highly relatable relevance, with many Australians now finally able to rejoice in being together again.”
Filmmaker, Kiku Ohe, added, “We aimed to craft an atmospheric and stirring cinematic film to speak to the hearts and spirit of all Australians. There is no better way to herald Qantas’ return to travel than by celebrating Australia’s vast landscape and diverse people.”
TVC will be screened in Australia on TV, supported by billboards, print and digital sites at various times throughout 2022. The advertisement will also be shown on all Qantas International flights arriving into Australia.
Credits:
Creative Agency: The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive
Production Company: Rabbit
Director: Kiku Ohe
DOP: Jeremy Rouse
Offline Company: Arc Edit
Post Production Companies: Blackbird & Heckler
Music: Turning Studios
Composer and Executive Music Producer: Elliott Wheeler
Photography: The Kitchen Creative Management
Photographer: Toby Burrows
The history of I Still Call Australia Home:
