Air New Zealand “had Hollywood actress Anna Faris, of Scary Movie fame, partner with New Zealand comic, Rhys Darby, to film their latest safety video. Take a look at their work below, and see if you agree with me that this may just be the best airline safety video ever!”
That was the opinion imparted by Eric in this article he wrote for Point Me To The Plane — and I must respectfully disagree.
The Best Airline Safety Video of All Time? Not By a Long Shot
I watched the safety video in question; and I personally did not like it.
Clocking in at five minutes and seven seconds in length, the safety video is too long. I found myself quickly getting bored with watching it.
Although I have a fairly warped sense of humor, I did not laugh or even smile once while watching this safety video. I found it more annoying than entertaining; and I felt that it distracted from the important core information of what to do to ensure that the flight is as safe as possible as well as what to do in the event of an emergency. That pertinent information was more lost than emphasized in the video, in my opinion.
The Right Balance of Entertainment and Important Information
With a length of exactly 30 seconds shorter than the aforementioned Air New Zealand safety video, Delta Air Lines arguably led the pack with this entertaining safety video back in 2008…
…but it did not detract from the core message, which is one of the reasons why I believe it was successful.
Another reason is that the “musical score” used for the safety video was inconspicuously catchy with its beat; but it was not dominating. A real flight attendant was used as the “star” of the safety video. The humor was subtle but funny. The instructions were not only easy to follow; but also easy to remember. The level of sound was fairly even throughout the safety video. It was simply the right balance of elements which imparted important information — but with just the right amount of entertaining elements to keep the attention of viewers.
The latest safety video from Delta Air Lines uses no humor at all, which is not necessarily a negative aspect — but a little humor to keep the attention of viewers would be helpful, in my opinion.
It certainly is better than watching a safety video where children appear to be delighted to see oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling.
Interactive Safety Video — and Attractiveness Sells
United Airlines had upped the ante almost two years ago with regards to the current trend of airlines converting their in-flight safety videos into entertaining productions — which are designed to retain the attention of passengers so that they know what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency — by watching its official safety video where you had the chance to win if you believe that you have found the hidden prizes.
The airline also released a safety video in 2008 where at least one person had a crush on the flight attendant which starred in it.
In a more recent version — last year, to be more precise — United Airlines had its own entertaining version of the safety video, which was better than the aforementioned safety video from Air New Zealand, in my opinion; but also missed the mark.
Summary
Air New Zealand has pushed the envelope with its safety videos. Remember when all of the employees appeared naked in this safety video in 2009?
The “bare essentials” safety video is arguably the most effective safety video by Air New Zealand, which has overall done a good job with the innovations incorporated into their series of safety videos — but the latest version is both a disappointment in terms of its entertainment value and rather ineffective, in my opinion.
Source: Air New Zealand.
