The Turkish Airlines Ad That Brings Childlike Wonder Back to Travel

Turkish Airlines‘ new local ad whisks viewers back to their childhood when imagination was the only thing that stood between them and traveling the world — or building a runway.

The video follows four children’s attempt to lure a Turkish Airlines’ jet into landing in their backyard. Their persistence pays off when a plane comes over the mountain and flies just beyond their home to a nearby runway. The ending: “If there is a single place in Turkey we don’t fly, then what is the good of the rest of the world?”

The ad’s attempt to tug at heartstrings is also geared toward playing into the sense of nationalism that surrounds the carrier. This was released on Turkey’s National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

The short film was created by prominent Turkish production company Filmpark, which has produced hundreds of branding clips for Turkish and international clients including Coca-Cola and KFC.

The ad is in Turkish, but as Wall Street Journal’s local AV geek Jon Ostrower points out, there’s no need for a translation.

This ad for Turkish Airlines is in Turkish. No translation needed. http://t.co/WPwLSzwLNK

— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) April 24, 2014

THY “Hayal Edince” / Bahadır Karataş from Filmpark on Vimeo.