Hollywood star Morgan Freeman becomes new face of Turkish Airlines

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s flagship carrier Turkish Airlines have signed world renowned Hollywood actor Morgan Freemen as its new brand face to represent it in the U.S. as a part of a new advertisement campaign, the company announced on Jan. 19.

Freeman, who also has a private pilot’s license, will appear in a commercial shot in Los Angeles slated to be aired on the Super Bowl Final on Feb. 5 night.

Last year, the carrier had sponsored “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” movie with Warner Bros Pictures. Through a series of commercials, it had introduced “Gotham City” and “Metropolis” as its two brand new destinations on Super Bowl night, reaching out to 35 percent of the U.S. population while the specially-designed Batman Batmobile had also crossed over Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait. The commercial had starred Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne (Batman) inviting viewers to Gotham City, while another starred Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther promoting Metropolis. 

The 79-year-old actor is known for his Oscar-nominated performances in films such as “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” He won the best supporting actor Academy Award for “Million Dollar Baby” in 2014.

The Super Bowl Final was watched by 800 million people last year as the carrier had become the first Turkish brand to be featured at the event. It is the most-watched annual sporting event on TV along with the UEFA Champions League.

Turkish Airlines had also increased its destinations in the country to nine last year with the latest Atlanta flight, adding to its 293 destinations.

Recently, the carrier has made highly successful sponsorships and advertising campaigns. In a wildly popular commercial for Turkish Airlines, two of sports’ greatest stars, Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi, are featured.

Following on its success, the company created a new YouTube ad called “Kobe vs. Messi: The Selfie Shootout” to continue increasing brand awareness in Europe, North America, the Middle East and the Far East. The spot became one of the fastest spreading commercials on YouTube in 2013.