“Revamped Safety Measures: Airlines Introduce New Pre-Flight Entertainment Options”

Airline safety tutorials used to be simple and given by flight attendants to passengers who were not paying attention. Nowadays, airlines use safety videos as a way to showcase their brand and engage viewers. United’s vice president of marketing, Mark Krolick, explains that their goal is to make the video interesting enough for people to want to watch it every time they fly. United’s latest safety video, “Safety is Global,” features scenes from destinations they service and includes hidden surprises that can only be noticed after multiple viewings. Singapore Airlines also released a new safety video, which highlights local attractions and encourages viewers to visit Singapore. The video, produced in partnership with Visit Singapore at a cost of over $1 million, aims to entice customers to return to Singapore, as many may not have the opportunity to fully explore the city during their flights. While some airlines, like Delta and British Airways, use celebrity appearances and comedy in their safety videos, Singapore Airlines chose to stick with their upscale branding. However, many airlines view these videos as marketing opportunities and carefully consider how they fit with their brand identity. Air New Zealand, for example, has received 138 million views on social media for their 14 safety videos, including one set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” trilogies. According to Air New Zealand’s general manager of global brand and content marketing, Jodi Williams, these creative safety videos are a crucial part of the airline’s marketing strategy. Airlines claim that their safety messages are still being effectively communicated, as safety regulators must approve the content of the videos. Additionally, they argue that by making the videos entertaining, they are actually increasing the number of passengers who pay attention to safety instructions. Although airlines are investing a lot of resources into these videos, they emphasize that promoting safety remains their top priority and that they take great care to ensure that the message is not overshadowed by the entertainment aspect of the videos.