A young Kiwi girl stars in Air New Zealand's latest safety video. Photo / Supplied
A young Kiwi girl stars in Air New Zealand's latest safety video. Photo / Supplied
Air New Zealand has changed direction with its latest safety video released today.
This, the 20th in a decade-long series, features no cameos from local or international celebrities.
The clip instead features the story of a young girl travelling through the country, emphasising the importance of the environment alongside aquirky takahē called Mr T.
This safety video, which was developed by independent advertising agency Pitchblack, follows on from last year's clip, which was Rugby World Cup-themed and packed with a wide spread of local and international superstars.
The content in the clip is very much in keeping with the airline's sustainability push amid growing concern about the impact of flying and tourism.
Given how safety video platform has become over the years, there is always significant pressure on the Air New Zealand team to deliver something that will resonate with the audience. The hip-hop themed safety video released at the end of 2018 showed how swift and brutal the response can be if the audience doesn't like the video.
That video was eventually pulled and also resulted in an apology letter from the airline.
The charming clip released today is unlikely to be that divisive, but the airline is no longer only measured by the quality of its own safety videos. Its approach has sparked similar creativity from other airlines around the world, adding some competitive flavour to the platform.
Just this week, for instance, Qantas released its own safety video themed on its centenary year.
The release of Air New Zealand's latest video comes at a tough time for the airline, which is currently navigating its way through a tough financial period.
The company's result out this week showed a 32 per cent slump in half-year profit to $101 million – and that was before the impact of coronavirus.
The airline also warned this week that the global outbreak is likely to shave $35m-$75m off its earlier revenue forecasts.
But these issues have not stopped the airline from sharing some good news too.
In addition to launching the safety video, the airline also released details about its highly anticipated Skynest sleeping pods.
Asked why the airline decided to go ahead with the news in such a tough week, Air NZ's general manager of global brand and content, Jodi Williams, said it was essential to market in tough times.
"Being visible and present even during challenging times is extremely important," Williams says.
