Nowadays airlines put a lot of effort into their safety videos, and basically view it as an extension of their marketing efforts.
It’s an exciting time for Philippine Airlines, as the carrier is trying to modernize its fleet, including taking delivery of the new flagship Airbus A350-1000. To celebrate that, the airline has just unveiled a new safety video, which is… unique (thanks to Singularity for flagging this).
Philippine Airlines’ new safety video is dramatic
Philippine Airlines has just released its newest safety video, described as “the first-ever #PALSafetynovela.” So yeah, it’s sort of like a soap opera, and it’s definitely quite dramatic.
The video is set across the islands of the Philippines, and is being screened effective immediately on the Airbus A350-1000, and then throughout the rest of the fleet starting in the coming weeks. The video is around six and a half minutes long, and that’s exclusively for English. You can see the video for yourself below.
For context, previously the carrier’s safety video was more destination focused, showing safety instructions with the backdrop of the Philippines’ gorgeous landscapes.
My take on Philippine Airlines’ new safety video
Over the years, airline safety videos have taken on a life of their own. The default has gone from being a video about safety, to being a video about something with a bigger theme, that just happens to weave in some safety instructions.
Nowadays, the most common type of safety video we see is like Philippine Airlines’ old safety video, where they show off the carrier’s home country, and abstractly show safety videos. So I do have to give Philippine Airlines credit for at least making the theme of the new video unique, as there aren’t many soap opera-esque safety videos.
Maybe it’s just me, but I just find these kinds of videos to be terribly distracting. In addition to acting as a marketing tool, airlines claim that they introduce these engaging videos in order to get people to actually pay attention, rather than tuning out.
While that’s a great concept, even if you watch this intently, do you actually have any sort of memory of the safety instructions, rather than just of the overall plot of the novela? Personally, I remember almost nothing about the video. And that says nothing of the fact that many people with a limited grasp of English will likely see this video, making it really hard to follow along.
As I’ve said many times before, call me a traditionalist, but I’m a fan of Emirates’ “no-nonsense” safety video, and find it to be sort of refreshing. It’s simple and to the point, and I like that.
Bottom line
Philippine Airlines has just released its new safety video, coinciding with the launch of the Airbus A350-1000. The airline deserves credit for coming up with a unique theme, as it’s described as a “safety novela.” While I think it’s pretty engaging, I continue to think that these abstract videos make it hard to actually follow along with the basics.
What do you make of Philippine Airlines’ new safety video?
