Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One was one of the most anticipated movies of the year in 2023. And Etihad Airways scored a big role in this iconic franchise starring Tom Cruise, as a featured location in one of the biggest scenes in the movie. Etihad Airways knew they had to take advantage of this and amplify not only their new terminal but showcase what makes Etihad stand out, their all-star cabin crew. To do this, the brief was simple - do a stunt that not even Tom Cruise has done before.

Our objective was to get as much viewership as possible.

The most logical way to showcase this partnership was to bring the iconic Mission: Impossible theme song to the place Etihad knows best, the skies. But playing in a plane would be too easy, so we asked our crew to actually do the impossible, play the tune live as they free-fall at 200 km/h towards earth. Just like real Mission: Impossible stunts, we couldn’t fake it. So we worked with a team of expert stunt coordinators and cinematographers in Hollywood to make it happen.

Etihad Airways scored a big role in the iconic Mission: Impossible franchise, as a featured location in one of the biggest scenes of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One. We knew we needed to use this as an opportunity to amplify the brand. Our strategy was to take what makes Etihad stand out, their all-star cabin crew - to another level.

The Mission: Impossible theme song is one of the most well known in the world. Our strategy was to combine this with the place Etihad knows best, the skies - and film an almost impossible stunt. Have our crew, play the tune live as they free-fall at 200 km/h towards earth.

One of the terms of Etihad’s partnership with Paramount was that we had to use the exact Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One theme song. While we could recreate it, it had to use the same instruments and music, exactly to ensure it didn’t cross over and infringe on the rights of any older movie in the Mission: Impossible franchise. This meant that every note played by our skydiving cast was scrutinized and had to be approved by Paramount. Even the slightest blunder in the notes they play could compromise what we could publish.

This film/activation has broken the record for the most viewed piece of content in the region for the Airline product category. With more 90 million views reaching in excess of 600 million impressions, the video far exceeded the project objectives. 98% positive brand comments included competitor airline pilots loving our work. (We have sent MI agents after the 2% that didn't like the video).