Air New Zealand trolls Emirates over Gerry the Goose ad campaign similarities

Emirates launched its new 'Fly Better' ad campaign last week starring an anthropomorphic goose, but the character has ruffled the feathers of another airline.

Gerry the Goose, the airline's new CGI brand ambassador, was introduced to the world in a commercial that sees the goose ditch its tiring migratory flight for a comfy seat in Emirates' new premium economy cabin.

The ad, due to air in 25 countries throughout September, spruiks the tagline 'Fly Better' as Gerry chooses the airline's flagship A380 aircraft rather than fly himself.

However, the fun ad campaign bears a striking similarity to Air New Zealand's 2016 commercial which has been running for years, featuring an animated goose named Dave, voiced by veteran Australian actor Bryan Brown.

The Dave animation was launched for the Australian market, to push the airline's long-haul North and South America routes. In the ad, the goose chooses to fly to the US with Air New Zealand rather than fly itself – sound familiar?

Now the New Zealand carrier is capitalising on the copycat campaign by releasing a retaliatory ad that sees Dave return to the skies to poke fun at the Middle Eastern airline.

"You'll be pleased to know that I finally convinced my old mate Gerry to stop doing his own flying, like me," Dave says in the new ad, shared via Air New Zealand's official Twitter account.

"The only problem is he got the wrong airline. What are you doing on Emirates, Gerry? It was supposed to be Air New Zealand. You know, the ones with the delicious cuisine, Kiwi hospitality and those clever advertising campaigns".