'Samana Kuwaitiya' celebrates nation's individual, collective spirit

Kuwait Airways celebrates National, Liberation days with TV commercial

KUWAIT: To mark the occasion of both Kuwait's National Day and Liberation Day, falling on 25th and 26th February respectively, Kuwait Airways, the official national carrier of the State of Kuwait, has paid tribute to the nation with a two-minute long TV commercial (TVC) highlighting the source of national pride and inspiration - the indomitable spirit of the Kuwaiti people. The two-minute long TV spot was previewed on Kuwait Airways' YouTube channel (15th February), before debuting on local and regional TV channels the following day.

With a twist on the inspirational maxim that "the sky is the limit", the Kuwait Airways ad has, somewhat understandably, adopted an aviation-related twist with 'Samana Kuwaitiya;' loosely translating as 'the sky is ours!'

Commenting on reasons for the ad, Haneen Al-Fulaij, Head of Strategic Planning, Kuwait Airways, said: "The inspiration for the ad was drawn from the Kuwaiti people themselves. As such, the concept was to take a snapshot of the daily life of four genuine, individual success stories. That is to say, the four Kuwaitis who appear in the ad are not actors; they are four individual Kuwaitis who represent a cross-section of the nation's individual and collective brilliance and their journey towards success."

Following the storylines of the four Kuwaitis, all of whom have achieved success in their chosen field of work or vocation, the TVC's producers say that by highlighting individuals who demonstrate what is possible, this translates into inspiration for others - the nation as a whole - to feel inspired to achieve further success. This is symbolized nicely, at the end of the TVC, with all of the individuals meeting together at the Kuwait "Opera House" or the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC) - a proud architectural monument and modern symbol of Kuwait.

The four individuals in the TVC are: Maha Beidoun, a trainee First Officer and the second female commercial pilot to work for Kuwait Airways; Capt. Mohammed Al-Ghareeb, a tennis player who holds the record for the number of times representing Kuwait, in the Davis Cup; Dr Nasser Abulhassan, an architect with a PhD from Harvard, who set up AGI Architecture 10 years ago, with offices in both Kuwait and Madrid, and employs many other Kuwaitis in this field; and Faisal Al-Nashmi, Chef and Restaurateur of 'St. (Street) Al-Makkan' and 'Table Otto.'

Not content to produce a stunningly impactful homage to the Kuwaiti nation, which was filmed on location and courtesy of both JACC and Al-Shaheed Park, Kuwait Airways sought out the prestigious talents of Kuwaiti poet, Bader Boursely, to write the voice over. This, in turn, was delivered in the inimitable tones of Suad Abdullah.

In addition to the two-minute TVC, a shorter, one-minute version was created for social media audiences. Additional material that also can be seen online includes one-on-one interviews with the four individuals who star in the ad; each explaining their own individual journey and how their love for Kuwait was a part of the inspiration that drove their success. With Kuwait Airways enjoying a revival of fortunes, in 2016, it is also clear that the new Kuwait Airways TVC takes on its own view of the success of a nation rising out of the sum of its parts.

The TVC ran from February15th, continued over the National Day and Liberation days weekend, up until the end of February. The online versions can still be accessed on any of Kuwait Airways' social media platforms, including: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.