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May 6, 2015 | Written by Jessica Sammut

Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi star in Turkish Airlines ad campaign.

Celebrity airline endorsement has been around for decades but more recently airlines have aligned themselves with elite athletes who often hold global celeb status. By associating themselves with much-admired athletes, airlines are not only connecting with sports fans around the world to build up brand awareness, they’re adding a coveted “cool-factor” to their airline brand. The campaigns, often playful with elements of humor, have featured hugely popular sport stars including football icon Lionel Messi and basketball hotshot Kobe Bryant. Here are a few sport celebrity airline endorsements that we’re fans of:

Turkish Airlines: Kobe vs. Messi ad campaign series

Part One: The Selfie Shootout