Qantas still calls Australia home, ditches short-lived 'Atlas' theme
By David Flynn, June 21 2013
Qantas has ditched the Atlas theme created by Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns and returned, at least for now, to the patriotic strains of I Still Call Australia Home.
Also axed: last year's You’re The Reason We Fly campaign, for while Johns' anthem was written.
Both seem to have been deep-sixed by Qantas' corporate affairs chief and spinner supreme Olivia Wirth, who recently brought the airline's marketing and brand operations under her wing.
Johns' opus, along with the accompanying TV commercial, was widely criticised, and even at the time of its launch Qantas said the iconic I Still Call Australia Home campaign – which launched over a dozen years ago, with the Sydney Olympics in 2000 – would "still play an important role for us, especially around national occasions. It’s very much our ‘national anthem’."
Qantas re-introduced a gentle acoustic instrumental interpretation of I Still Call Australia Home as the subtle soundtrack of its new Qantas Frequent Flyer campaign For Every Journey which debuted on Australian TV stations last Sunday evening.
The airline has since confirmed that Atlas and its parent campaign have both been put out to pasture.
A Qantas spokeswoman told media and marketing website Mumbrella that "The ‘Atlas’ soundtrack was used for the ‘You’re the Reason We Fly’ campaign last year, we have a new campaign in the market and have no plans for any further roll out of last year’s campaign."
The spokesperson reiterated that “The I Still Call Australia Home campaign continues to form part of the Qantas brand and marketing activities... we will continue to use I Still Call Australia Home in ads for special occasions and for live performances.”
Here's a quick recap of Atlas from the You're The Reason We Fly spot.
Follow Australian Business Traveller on Twitter: we're @AusBT
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
14 Jun 2013
Total posts 353
Goodbye and good riddance to both the Atlas music and the You're The Reason We Fly campaign, ironically launched while everyone was still remembering Qantas shutting down all flights in 2011. You're the reason we fly? I don't think so!
02 Jan 2013
Total posts 142
"I still call Australia home" is far to cheesy for my liking. And here I though Americans were over the top patriotic.
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
I find it a bit touching, and I am not a sentimental guy or an overly patriotic Aussie. But I think it says what I feel, that I do call Australia home, and that especially when I am travelling I find a lot to appreciate about Australia. At least it's just an honest statement, that we call Australia home, unlike Yanks who go on and on about their country being a beacon of freedom, greatest country in the world, God-given rights to liberty etc.
09 Sep 2012
Total posts 139
Use of the ultimate Americanism "guy" is interesting, given the last sentence.
Nothing at all wrong with the sentiment, but the song was and is dreadful. It was also written by a bloke who abandoned Australia for the US as soon as he could.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Sep 2012
Total posts 132
I actually quite liked the Atlas music. Each time I heard it on the overhead when boarding in a foreign port I knew I would be home soon.
"I still call..." is a little cheesy for me.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3012
cdinoz you're right. I too enjoyed the Atlas music. Any reason why they've ditched it?
It was a clever ad in my opinion unlike the current Mars robot campaign. What's that about???
I don't know about you but doing the weekly shopping in Woolies is certainly not a journey!
On a different note, I hope they'll retain the safety video featuring the Qantas ground staff. It essentially captures an element of Australiana without making too much of a song and dance about it.
09 May 2013
Total posts 8
Cheesy or not it was emotive and a great campaign. For the first time I actually agree with something that spin doctor Wirth has done and I never thought that would occur. The cynic in me knows it's a deliberate attempt at the heartstrings but hearing those beautiful voices or seeing the ad when overseas make me realise how lucky we are to have our country sometimes, and used to make me actively choose Qantas. Jetstar on the other hand.....And I think Peter Allen wrote the song for the very reason that he did still have an attachment to Australia, regardless of his career, something many expats can relate to.
Ansett Global Rewards
30 Oct 2012
Total posts 16
Does anybody miss Ansett's "Absolutely" campaign, or are we all QF lovers here?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
01 Apr 2011
Total posts 47
Don't remember that one. For me the best were the 1970 Ansett "Flight" ads where the bird flying in the sky turned into a plane. The photography, the music, etc, made it quite magical.
And of course the Cathay ads with Barry White's "Love's Theme" music. Whenever I hear that music now, I automatically think of Cathay. They were ads in the 70's also I think. Don't make ads like that any more!
And if you want cheesy - who remembers the old "Up Up and Away with TAA" ads??
Ansett Global Rewards
30 Oct 2012
Total posts 16
Up, up and away, with TAA the friendly, friendly way!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Apr 2012
Total posts 317
"Atlas" was eventually growing on me as background music, it wasn't too bad... however there is still something special about "I still call Australia home", that resonates and reminds me of home no matter how much we travel.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Jan 2013
Total posts 698
Qantas was always mad to cut I still call Australia home from its marketing. Qantas was so associated with that song (and vice versa) that it was a taught marketing case study. Recognition and association was achieved with just a few bars of that song, something that Atlas never even got close to.
As the old adage goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it (and, if anything, the change prompted negative PR about Qantas trying to ditch "Australian" from brand, to comments about workforce going Jetstar - not good!)
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
12 Jan 2013
Total posts 55
hi All i like this one ..from 2010.... esp the song ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5cfA_H8knI
The name of the song is
Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard - Now We Are Free
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Qantas still calls Australia home, ditches short-lived 'Atlas' theme