Actor Christopher Walken fronts Qantas Assure’s new launch campaign via WiTH Collective
Qantas has launched a new campaign via WiTH Collective, featuring US actor Christopher Walken for the launch of its new health insurance and wellness program, endorsed by The National Heart Foundation, called Qantas Assure.
From today, Qantas Frequent Flyers will be able to earn Qantas Points for doing everyday activities like walking, running, doing the grocery shopping and mowing the lawn through Qantas Assure.
Walken is the face of the Qantas Assure launch campaign.
The campaign features Walken demonstrating some of the activities members can undertake to earn Qantas Points (like steppin’, dancin’ and…walkin’).
The campaign will be seen on TV, cinema, airports, outdoor and online.
Says Simon Fowler and 
Nicole Hetherington, associate creative directors, WiTH Collective: “Qantas made our job easy by seeing the merit in such a simple idea.Qantas Assure is a fantastic, innovative product and a world first to boot. The experience of shooting Mr Walken is
definitely a career highlight, and as per usual it was an absolute pleasure working with Nick Ball, and everyone over at Finch.
“This project is just one of many exciting opportunities coming out of WiTH Collective at the moment with more in the pipeline.”
Qantas Frequent Flyers
who take out a Qantas Assure health insurance policy and use the Qantas Assure App to count their steps could earn up to 70,000 Qantas Points in the first year – enough to fly from Sydney to London. Each year depending on the level of cover, members can earn up to 15,000 Qantas Points through the App for staying active, in addition to the points they can already earn from other activities like shopping, flying and using their credit card.
Qantas Loyalty CEO Lesley Grant said the initial response to the Qantas Assure concept had been extremely positive, and matched up with research showing consumers want more value from their health insurance.
Says Grant: “We have more than 11 million Frequent Flyers and about a quarter of all Australians are already keeping an eye on their health through wearable technology, so we think the idea of earning points for being active will appeal to a lot of people.
“Qantas Assure helps people get value from their health insurance every day by rewarding them for simply being on the move.
“We know from trialling the Qantas Assure App that being incentivised to stay fit and healthy is popular among our members. When there are points up for grabs, members have told us they would take the stairs rather than the lift, park a few blocks away from the train station and do an extra lap of the park while walking the dog because they also know it is good for them.
“People can literally walk their way closer to their next flight by taking out Qantas Assure health insurance and earning Qantas Points by staying active. These points can be redeemed on flights as well as thousands of other rewards from hotel stays to products from the Qantas Store.”
Professor Garry Jennings AO, CEO, National Heart Foundation said Qantas Assure has been named as the exclusive national health insurance partner because it reinforces the health benefits of being active.
Says Jennings: “Qantas Assure is the only health insurance membership with access to a wellness program endorsed by the National Heart Foundation.
“We support Qantas Assure’s innovative approach to rewarding people for being more active. Research has shown that walking for 30 minutes or more a day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by a third.”
Any Qantas Points earned by members through the Qantas Frequent Flyer program can be redeemed for part or all of their initial Qantas Assure health insurance policy premium.
Qantas Assure is exploring how members can be rewarded for other activities, such as swimming, cycling and yoga. The wellness program will also expand to include information on nutrition and offer workout apparel and equipment.
Client – Qantas
Lesley Grant – Chief Executive Officer – Qantas Loyalty
Steph Tully – Chief Marketing Officer – Qantas
Aaron Fuller – Head of Marketing – Qantas Assure
Agency – WiTH Collective
Justin Hind – Chief Executive Officer
Steve Coll – Chief Creative Officer
Nicole Hetherington – Associate Creative Director
Simon Fowler – Associate Creative Director
Adam Parsons – Client Services Director
Laura Glendinning – Account Director
Kristie Beattie – Account Manager
Sarah Cloutier – Senior Producer
Production Company – Finch
Rob Galluzzo – Executive Producer / Founder
Nick Ball – Director
Camilla Denhert – Producer
Corey Esse – Managing Director/Executive Producer:
Jason Gilbert Line Producer – Furlined
Philippe Le Sourd – Director Of Photography
Andrew Reznik – Production Designer
Drew Thompson – Editor – ARC Edit
The Pool Collective
Sean Izzard – Photographer
Cameron Gray – Managing Director
Alt.VFX – Post Production
Rumble – Sound
43 Comments
What, no Walken Closet gag? Oh wait, that’s already been done.
stuff.
gags been done before. but this is better.
Why would cast Walken and not get him to talk? Huge miss.
Good work guys.
This is very good. Print is nicely art directed too. Well done tiny kiwis.
probably cos he’s bloody expensive.
How good is it to see some awesome work.
Looks lovely, but the idea just another name pun.
The Walken Superbowl spot was in Feb, so it’s unlikely this was in production – might have been a good time to find another idea?
Nice one – this will be hugely popular, methinks.
🙁 No Christopher… Talkin’
Same same but different? Can’t say I’m ‘moved’ to take QANTAS up are any of you?
Why so much make-up can I ask?
So nice, dudes. Clapping emoji.
What a waste.
Compared to the Made from Cool campaign this is embarassing.
About 15 years ago my then 10 year-old told me a joke:
“What’s better than Christopher Reeve?
Christopher Walken.”
THAT was funny.
Sick, sophisticated humour from a kid in short pants.
This, on the other hand, is just cringeworthy
Even Walken looks embarrassed.
At the best use of Christopher Walken in advertising awards, would this even be a finalist?
You can almost hear Paul Bradbury and TBWA’s ECDs crying realising that WITH are not going to pitch only DM or digital ideas on Virgin Mobile.
Looked at the posters again. Still don’t get it.
punters are going to love this.
good shit.
Using a celebrity name as an inherent part of the idea feels a little samey lately.
These print executions make absolutely zero sense unless you’ve seen the TVC.
THAT’S not funny Old CD guy.
Which does make your comments null and void due to a lack of judgement.
Don’t get it, I tend to agree.
Don’t wish to sound like I’m bagging the whole campaign (the film works out pretty well), but without an understanding arrived from seeing the film, I don’t think you’ve got a fighting chance of understanding the print.
It is Walking/Walken, before first thought.
With Collection mainly do digital gizmos and apps don’t they? Now they’re just another ad agency, and not a very good one.
Switched this off half way through.
What’s our insight again, guys?
Oh I know: “walking” sounds like “Walken”. That’s it. That’s as far as it goes. Tell me there’s more.
And I agree, the print makes absolutely no sense.
I don’t think Bradders is going to be “shudderin'”
Well, that’s just like, your opinion, man.
It hardly makes sense – and the end bit to try and force the sense in is pretty random.
Very random.
Oh well, swing and miss. And still we wait for WiTH creatively.
I want my meme back.
If nothing else, this is a brilliantly directed commercial.
Nice work guys, that film is lovely
Not trolling, but this is lazy.
What happen to good ideas?
Got the gag after 15seconds, so it doesn’t quite stretch to a minute and a half.
Plus, Spike Jonze did the punch line 10 years ago.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=walkens+welcome&espv=2&biw=1371&bih=677&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj70NK8o-zLAhUhGKYKHSmwDwAQsAQIGg
nick ball i feel has cemented himself as an A grade director…
although is see shades of dougg pitt here
So this is your thought process..
You watch the Christopher Walken film for Qantas.
You like it.
But wait.
That’s not enough.
You have to comment personally by name checking the CEO of a completely different agency on a different client.
But you don’t stop there, you go for the ECD’s too.
Saying they should be ‘shuddering’
Which says one thing….
You’re the bitter ex-someone on the end of the shit stirring stick.
However Whybin TBWA left you feeling, just praise WiTH Collective.
That’s all you need to do.
Just say I like the Walken ad.
It’s cute.
And then crawl back under ground into your rock spider hole because satan is missing his asshole.
What next?
Johnnie Walker using Christopher Walken in a “Keep Walking’ campaign?
Oh man, this is just terrible. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
This could’ve been great – regardless of whether its original or not. But it isn’t. It just tries too hard to be cool.The v/o is ‘soooo’ cool its boring. CW’s performance is ‘soooo’ cool its boring. And the result? Well, if I said 10% of people actually remember what this spot is meant to communicate I’d be generous. Guys, you a have a great client in Qantas.They deserve more cowbell, not more of the self centred, wanky, ad land focused stuff they received from their last agency.
Yea it’s boring. One painfully long pun. Poor Christopher.
“Qantas Assure is a fantastic, innovative product and a world first to boot.”
Nice execution, clearly had a decent budget and it’s been crafted well. Solid work.
But…have some awareness of what products are out there globally, Qantas Assure isn’t the first health insurance product or service to reward its members for doing healthy or everyday activities.
So Qantas Assure isn’t innovative and it’s clearly not a world first. If you’re going to throw words around like ‘innovative’ remember what that word means… you’ve been there before.
Just got off a Qantas flight. Was walking through the terminal and spotted the ad in front of me. Behind me I hear “Those Christopher Walken ads crack me up!” from a thirty something woman behind me to her fellow traveller.
Love the pun, but this is basically a meme. You LOL, you move on. It makes no sense at all without the setup.
Saw it for the first time last night at the cinema and after we got home, I was telling my wife about it and realised: I had no idea what product he was selling in the ad.
Me: “Was it Optus? Nah, that was Usain Bolt. Or Qantas? Maybe Qantas. But it wasn’t a crying Qantas ad… Uhm… It was funny, though”
Wife: “Who’s Christopher Walken?”
Christopher yawning.
Christopher cringeing.
Christopher renovating his bathroom.
With Collective not collecting awards.