Staff Reporters
Mar 22, 2011

Air New Zealand mascot Rico goes viral with Snoop Dogg

NEW ZEALAND - Air New Zealand's furry mascot Rico has teamed up with rap star Snoop Dogg to record a viral video featuring his debut single 'Hello sunshine'.

The video and track was released on YouTube in the run-up to the 28 March launch of Snoop's new album Doggumentary. 

Speaking on the collaboration with Rico, Snoop said, "Meet this guy and you’ll understand why I wanted to work with him. He’s funny. He’s a little bit edgy and a little bit naughty, which is a nice change for an industry that is known for having some of the dullest marketing known to mankind."

Mike Tod, Air New Zealand general marketing manager, said Snoop Dogg and Rico combined have millions of followers in social media and performing a song together came naturally.

“Both have courted controversy in their careers and both love to sing – arguably one better than the other, but still, it makes for some light entertainment,” he added.

Clad in a New Zealand All Blacks rugby jersey, Snoop raps the lyrics for the song and video completed at Wavaflow Studios in Hollywood.

Rico is Air New Zealand's global ambassador created in partnership with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Los Angeles.

The mascot has featured in online advertising promoting the airlines new products the Economy SkyCouch and Premium Economy Spaceseat, an inflight safety video and has spent the summer touring around New Zealand, documenting his experiences in a series of video diaries.

Related Articles

Just Published

10 hours ago

Women’s cricket searches rose by 103% in 2024: ...

Live music events including Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Vijay Antony, and Diljit Dosanjh concerts also saw a 43% increase, according to the report.

10 hours ago

Pitch consultants respond to 'pay-to-play' ...

Industry body VoxComm said the rise of this model puts agency-client relationships at risk.

11 hours ago

Coach appoints Mother to creative account and ...

The latest campaign features actors Elle Fanning and Nazha, model and songwriter Koki, and rapper Youngji Lee, all of whom are global ambassadors for Coach.

11 hours ago

Do the latest holding company results signify a ...

Industry leaders weigh in on what Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe and Interpublic Group results mean for media.