United’s New Pre-flight Video Combines Safety and “Sophisticated Humor”
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The APEX Experience Magazine team has a new pre-flight video to add to our favorites. Last week, United Airlines launched their newest safety video that will appear on over 1,300 flights daily. We interviewed United spokesperson Charles Hobart to get the inside scoop on the production and find out what the airline is doing to stand out from the crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqAAQ0ZZMyw
Are the actors in the video United employees?
Yes, they are all United employees in their uniforms.
Was there an audition process for the roles?
To a degree. Obviously we are going to vet those who are going to be representing the company. There was a process, you could call it an audition of sorts. We felt that these particular employees were a good representation of the airline.
The video was shot in six different countries (France, Japan and Australia to name a few), how did you choose the locations?
Those countries represent the breadth of our global network. Those are popular destinations for us so we felt that it would make sense to use those particular destinations. They’re all kind of diverse and unique so again, it gives you kind of a wide range of all the destinations that we serve.
Several airlines are investing in safety videos that entertain and captivate the passenger audience. How would you say United’s video stands out from the crowd?
Well I think ours takes the approach of “sophisticated humor.” We think it’s a clever and fresh approach to our safety video. We know that we need to find interesting ways to capture the passenger’s attention during the safety announcement, especially as personal electronic device usage increases and fewer people are paying attention. For us, safety has always been priority number one. We figure that the more people know about the safety features of the aircraft, the better off we’re all going to be.
Also, [the video] is a reflection of our commitment to safety and it’s an extension of the United brand: the “flying friendly” brand. We launched this marketing campaign about a year ago, where we brought back the “fly the friendly skies” motto, and [this video] is sort of a fresh approach to our commitment to safety and a new way to engage with our customers.
How often does United plan on releasing new safety videos?
I don’t have anything to announce right now but we are always looking for ways to remain fresh and engage with our customers.
Does the recent trend in airline safety videos pressure other airlines into updating their videos in creative ways? Did United feel that pressure?
We felt that it was important to capture our passenger’s attention and we wanted to make sure that they knew what the safety features were of that particular aircraft. It’s not about pressure from other airlines, it’s about making sure we can keep and maintain their attention and this is one of the ways that we’re able to do that.
What has the feedback been like so far?
The reaction from customers has been very positive. You probably noticed little “hidden scenes” in the video itself and again that’s another way that we’re trying to get our customers to pay attention and see if they can spot those on subsequent viewings. We’ll be launching a social media campaign relatively soon that reflects those hidden scenes.
Have you noticed any of the “hidden scenes” Hobart mentions? Share them and your thoughts with us on Twitter @theAPEXassoc