Kobe & Messi Try To Recreate a Monster Hit For Turkish Airlines, In Selfies

Turkish Airlines is trying to recreate a monster. Last year the airline signed on FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as its new brand ambassador and did a video that pitted him and LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant against each other for a young boy’s attention. That video ended up becoming a huge hit, with over 100 million views just on YouTube, countless other views in other online forums, and tons of buzz.

Now the airline is trying to recreate that viral magic again, with a new ad featuring Kobe and Messi capturing the cultural zeitgeist of selfies.

In the new one minute video that emphasizes the global network of the airline, Kobe and Messi resume their “friendly rivalry” by trading selfie” from exotic locations, such as the Red Square in Moscow; The Great Wall of China; the Maldives; Bangkok; and Mount Kilimanjaro, all of which are destinations Turkish Airlines flies to, of course. In the ad’s final shot, Messi takes a selfie in Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, only to be photobombed by Kobe.

The video comes with its own hashtag, #kobevsmessi.

Basketball star Kobe Bryant and football icon Lionel Messi are back in this epic face-off for selfie supremacy. Armed with cameras and Turkish Airlines – the carrier that flies to more countries than any other – these superstars show up and show off across the globe.

The new ad is part of the new campaign from Turkish’s brand new ad agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky, the original hit was created by a local Turkish agency, Alametifarika.

The original ad from Turkish Airline that became the big hit: