Campaign: Uniform launch
Company: Air New Zealand
Agency Partners: Praytell (U.S. public relations); AltShift (Australia PR); PR Consulting (Emilia Wickstead public relations); Montoya (lead creative); Derek Henderson (photography); The Beards (production); Fish & Chips (production); Dentsu (media)
Dates: March 28 — April 23, 2025
In 2018, Air New Zealand announced that it would redesign its uniforms, which debuted in 2011.
The COVID-19 pandemic and timing challenges delayed the rollout of the new outfits, but the airline finally debuted the new uniforms in April 2025.
Strategy
Air New Zealand wanted to ensure that the new designer was either based in New Zealand or represented the country globally, according to Elle Holdich, Air New Zealand head of communications.
Emilia Wickstead, a Kiwi who has designed clothes for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern and actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow and Brie Larson, was ultimately picked for the role.
“She has a deep connection to our country, a deep pride for our country and her heritage here, and she represents New Zealand to the world every day, so it was a really obvious choice,” Holdich said.
Wickstead also wanted to ensure that the uniform highlighted the country’s culture, Holdich said, so she recruited Te Rangitu Netana, an artist who does Ta Moko, a type of tattoo from the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. He assisted Wickstead by painting prints for the uniforms.
The collection includes a shirt with “striking purapura whetū patterns” for cabin crew or ground staff, and for pilots, “a bold pinstripe suit, with a kiwi feather lining, symbolizing leadership and prestige,” according to a press release.
Tactics
To promote the new uniforms, the communicators drafted unique pitches for each publication they wanted to reach, Holdich said. For example, in a pitch to Vogue, they suggested a profile of Wickstead and “linked it into New Zealand, with her top tips for New Zealand travel and why the New Zealand culture is so important to her,” Holdich said.
The brand also promoted the hiring of Te Rangitu.
“We are thrilled to partner with Te Rangitu on this new chapter of Air New Zealand’s identity,” Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said in a statement. “The partnership between Te Rangitu and Emilia Wickstead perfectly embodies our commitment to reflecting the beauty and heritage of Aotearoa.”
The brand also teased the uniform on social media and in out-of-home advertising.
One TikTok post from the airline showed a clothing rack and a garment bag. People unzipped it to see what was inside, but you could only see their excited faces.
@airnz #AnythingButUniform ♬ original sound – Air New Zealand
“If you were walking around New Zealand, you would have started to see bits of the uniform show up in different places, but with no context, so it was kind of that drip feed to garner that excitement,” Holdich said.
The marketers then staged an event April 10 in Auckland to unveil the uniform. It featured people from Te Ara Nui, Air New Zealand’s Māori cultural group, performing the haka, a traditional Māori ceremonial dance.
That represented “the deepest level of respect in welcoming that uniform into the Air New Zealand family,” Holdich said.
Foran, Netana and Wickstead also spoke at the event.
Results
The campaign received coverage from outlets such as Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes and the Telegraph.
The TikTok teaser post generated almost 300,000 views and more than 1,400 likes. Another TikTok post showing a photoshoot with people wearing the new uniforms amid the country’s natural landscape received more than 480,000 views and almost 1,800 likes.
A Facebook teaser received almost 900,000 views and more than 1,800 likes.