I have a question: What possible Turkish Airlines flight could have both Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi on it? Are they taking advantage of round-trip tickets from Los Angeles to Istanbul with a convenient stopover in Buenos Aires? Are they going to the Olympics? Or are they going to that really awesome island in the Caribbean where only the extraordinarily wealthy and physically fit are allowed to visit? That is my suspicion.
This very cute spot from Turkish agency Alametifarika sees Bryant and Messi competing for a kid's affections à la Pixar's One Man Band, among others (which is not to say it's a ripoff, merely that it's a solid plot for a short subject). First, the ball handling (footling?), then the houses of cards, then the balloon animals … I kind of wanted to see where it would go next, but honestly, I'm with the kid. Plane flights are but fleeting; ice cream is eternal.
Great stuff here: the windmill on Messi's one-up house of cards; both guys grinning invitingly at the kid through the whole spot; the adorable child's teeth; and the seats! This really does make Turkish Airlines look like the most comfortable airline in the universe, not least because all the other passengers are blithely going about their business as though Kobe and Messi are on every flight they've ever taken, forever trying to impress some dumb kid and keeping normal people from sleeping or reading Stephen King.
Also, Kobe has great timing.
Incidentally, the ADR (automated dialogue replacement) on the flight attendant's voice would have been funny a year ago; now it makes me think she's related to Bane. Her voice is coming from everywhere!
And seriously, look at the number of YouTube on this thing: 57 million in less than two weeks. That is the combined power of soccer and basketball, which I hope to harness in the hybrid sport I have just invented, socketball.
I'll see you on Rich Guy Island.
CREDITS
Client: Turkish Airlines
Agency: Alametifarika
Creative Team: Emrah Karpuzcu, Kenan Unsal, Can Bilginer, Huseyin Sandik, Odisseas Sevsevme, Emre Abay, Nilufer Acar, Sertug Alptekin, Cagri Ark
Director: Marco Grandia
Production: Electric Zoo, Filmcolony, only925
Post Production: Ambassadors, Filimisleri