Following the success of last year's "selfie showdown" campaign with Kobe Bryant, Turkish Airlines has decided to take the showdown theme to the culinary realm.
The showdown this time is between sports superstars Lionel Messi and Didier Drogba, as they attempt to one up each other by eating in obscure foodie-centric locations around the globe for an "Epic Food" experience.
The marketing campaign takes that decidedly culinary bent into its promotional slogan, saying that " we fly to more flavours than any other airline." This focus on the thriving foodie culture demonstrates how food has become integral to the travel experience, oftentimes being the very reason for the trip in the first place.
The following ad is tied to the new campaign, one of a package to be pushed out into the global media as part of this year's unique marketing campaign. It's already logged a respectable 17 million views in a week, and is supported by
The ad campaign is tied to a social marketing element as well, with the Epic Food Map competition. Travelers can upload a favorite dish that they've enjoyed around the world, with a photo, and then the two superstars will select their favorite dish. The winner will then receive a trip to all 5 destinations featured in the above video as a prize.
The food photos will then be compiled into an interactive map of the "epic food" the world over. The smart effect here is that the user-generated content will live on past the campaign, providing an ongoing interactive experience that will further increase the reinforcement of the brand's promise.