Ronan Keating saves Summer Wonderland for Air New Zealand in Christmas spot via Host, Sydney
Air New Zealand, via agency Host, Sydney, has teamed up with multi-platinum Irish artist Ronan Keating and rising Kiwi acting star Julian Dennison to record a uniquely Kiwi take on one of the world’s most iconic Christmas songs, rewritten to celebrate the magic of a Southern Hemisphere Christmas.
The online video Summer Wonderland captures the fun as Hunt for the Wilderpeople star Julian Dennison directs a reluctant Ronan Keating in a witty rewrite of Walking in a Winter Wonderland, to better reflect the festive season down under.
The spot marks the last work for Air NZ by outgoing Host ECD Bob McIntosh, who departs the agency at the end of this year.
Air New Zealand’s General Manager Global Brand and Content Marketing Jodi Williams says the homegrown lyrics will remind local audiences of the moments that make a Kiwi Christmas, while the song also sends an enticing message to prospective visitors around the world.
“The idea of sleigh bells and snow doesn’t really resonate for us in the Southern Hemisphere so we wanted to have fun with the concept of ‘carol equality’ and come up with a song we Kiwis and Aussies can relate to.
“We hope the video will not only spread festive cheer but will also stand out against more traditional Christmas advertising, inspiring travellers to come down and see you don’t need winter to enjoy our wonderland.”
Keating says that while he and Dennison are an unlikely duo, they had plenty of laughs recording the antipodean remix.
“I’m a big fan of New Zealand, both the country and the people and also of Air New Zealand. I love their humorous on board safety videos and of course, the great inflight experience.
“Working with Julian was a breeze – he’s an absolute legend, incredibly professional, and to top it off, he can definitely sing.”
Dennison plays the part of Ronan Keating’s producer in the video and says even though he was in awe of the music legend, their jam session was one of his career highlights.
“My job in the video is to sell Ronan on the idea of a sunny outdoor Christmas – the kind of day I’m looking forward to sharing with my family, jamming on the guitar or ukulele and chillaxing.
“For me Christmas is about getting people together and in the groove, so what better way to celebrate than to cut a track on why a Kiwiana Christmas is epic,” says Dennison.
Air New Zealand’s Summer Wonderland was released today on the airline’s social media channels.
Client: Air New Zealand
Agency: Host, Sydney
Talent Integration: Bring
Director: Craig Melville
Production Company: Jungle
Music arrangement: Song Zu
Sound mix: Song Zu
24 Comments
Too long didn’t watch
This is really good. Great talent, nicely handled.
Love it!
This is gold. Literally.
I would appreciate a copy of Summer Wonderland lyrics. Many Neville
Lyrics here @Neville
http://airnzchristmas.com/lyrics
And sheet music here:
http://airnzchristmas.com/sheetmusic
I could have eaten a tin of Alphabetty Spaghetti and shat a better script.
Woeful.
Good stuff
New Zealand airlines are the best, Qantas will try and copy this in two years
this makes us homesick. awesome guys.
As an old NZer it made me smile and laugh a lot. Might get out the jandals.
Well done to everyone at Host for yet another great content piece. Lovely little idea, well executed, and consistently on tone for Air New Zealand.
Hope it works its merry little socks off for them!
Well done all. I love it.
Like it….a lot!
Big fan
Made ma laugh out loud, top work everyone!
A nice spot for you to go out on Bob. Big ups to you and the team.
This is brilliant, makes me miss home. Well done Bob and team.
Why wasn’t I in this?
Best thing to come out in a while.
Saw this ALL over social media yesterday. But couldn’t get the air NZ site to play the video… Thank you youtube! Awesome work.
Note to self: When marketing to kiwis, just mention Jandals and everything will be sweet as eh bro.
Sweet as Bros.
Would like to see The Contrarian do better with his can of Alphabet Soup!
A great song and a lot of fun.