Etihad hijacked Black Friday shopping searches with flights to buy the deal

Black Friday belongs to electronics and appliances; an airline advertising tickets into that noise usually loses. Impact BBDO and Google's Creative Works found the calendar was the insight: 70% of shopping searches containing Black Friday happen in October and the days leading up to the event.

Etihad's hunch was that if someone is shopping for an iPhone, you offer a flight to a city where it is cheaper. The agency built a YouTube Bumper that mimics an in-flight safety announcement, then generated 2,400 versions that swap product and destination imagery, each persuading a customer to travel to get what they wanted.

The hyper-personalized ads reached relevant in-market audiences across 20+ countries over three weeks, supported by Meta, TikTok, display and paid search. Etihad's digital director called the result the highest-ever digital sale in the airline's 20-year history; the wider campaign recorded a 58% revenue increase, a 23.4% click-through rate and a threefold sales record.

Sell the flight that lets shoppers buy the deal abroad

It rides intent that already exists instead of creating demand in a crowded moment.

Personalization at scale - 2,400 versions - makes each shopper feel the ad was written for them.

The safety-announcement frame makes a sales ad feel like brand content, earning attention instead of buying it.

It converts deal-seekers who would never browse airline fares on Black Friday.

When rivals own the category's big moment, enter through the intent that already exists: find what shoppers are searching for and sell the detour.

The campaign won Gold at the 2025 MENA Effie Awards. Reported results include a 58% increase in revenue, a 23.4% click-through rate and a threefold sales record, and Etihad called it the highest digital sale in its 20-year history. The search-takeover mechanic returned the next Black Friday with a new film, Find Your Escape This Black Friday.