Awesome Air New Zealand All Blacks rugby safety video

UPDATE March 26, 2013: In what I believe is a really stupid move, at some point Air New Zealand made the video I talk about in this post private. Too bad. It had more than a million YouTube views and was serving as excellent marketing for the company.

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Last year I had the pleasure of speaking at the Marketing Now! conference in Wellington, NZ hosted by my friend Siobhan Bulfin.

I met marketers from both Air New Zealand and the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team. I was struck at the time the awesomeness of New Zealanders and their world famous team.

So it is with great excitement that Siobhan shared with me the new safety video created by Air New Zealand for use on their 737 aircraft (which I flew from Auckland to Wellington).

Direct link to Air New Zealand - Crazy About Rugby - Safety Video on YouTube.

What fun. If you're like me and travel frequently, you know how dreadful many of these safety videos can be. So good on you Air New Zealand for making yours fun.

Credits! Humor!

There's even credits at the end. When have you ever seen that? And how about some 120,000 YouTube views in just a week. Watch carefully or you may miss some of the (awesome) subtle humor.

Here's a look behind the scenes at creating the video.

The timing of the release of this new video was just after the All Blacks had beaten the South Africa Springboks by 29-22. In an amazing final 5 minutes they scored two tries to claim the Tri Nations crown.

What normally boring aspect of your business can you make fun and brand your organization as one that people want to do business with?

Comments

[Keith at KendallPress]

this was SO much better than the dreary safety videos or droning (from boredom) flight attendants.

This is the first airplane safety pitch that had me paying full attention. And those closing credits are a great touch. GO TEAM. nicely done.

[expressimpression]

It is so much better than the annoyance marketing that is being to much over used now. Specially when flying there are so many factors tend to take your attention away from those safety videos like jet lag, excitement etc. Humor is also a great way to refresh passenger and make them watch safety video. The closing credentials with photo made it so much personal.

[Bianca Te Rito]

Hi David

Thank you for posting this. As a fellow Kiwi (New Zealander) living abroad this was refreshing to see.

Quote "Stretch those hammies" - Stretch the creative ways to communicate otherwise "dry instructions" into something more engaging, fun and memorable!

Very cool and thanks again

[AJHuisman]

Hi David,

Thanks for sharing, great stuff. Be remarkable, be worth talking about, have fun AND have a great product. And I speak from experience that Air New Zealand has all that! Wish more companies would not take themselves so seriously - seriously!

[Mark Copeman]

David - great spot - as the last commenter said, Seth Godin would give this his remarkable stamp.

So few corporates would dare do something like this - but why?!

Getting noticed means being different.

Love it.

Best wishes,
Mark.

[David Meerman Scott]

Yes indeed.

Thanks for the comments. It's certainly remarkable. How cool that Air New Zealand is a company that can have fun!

"Stretch those hammies"

[Norma]

This is a safety video I don't mind watching. Very creative.

[Harmony Wheeler]

This actually reminds me a lot of the safety video that comes before Disney California Adventure's Soaring Over California. They got a great spokesperson (Patrick Warburton) and added some humor by reminding customers that even a cute, bald, family man has to put away even his Mickey Mouse ears hat.

[Krista Lamb]

This is brilliant. Whenever I fly, I notice that half the people aren't paying attention to the safety videos at all - this is a great way to change that. I wish Air Canada would do a hockey one!

[Sports Ball Shop]

very interesting safety video, not boring at all :D