Video Link: Hong Kong Airlines “Kung Fu” Commercial on YouTube
This is a commercial made by the Hong Kong Airlines. When I first watched this commercial, I did not understand why Hong Kong Airlines was mentioning Wing Chun, which is a type of well-known Chinese martial art, in the commercial. The only reason that I could explain why they were mentioning it is that Wing Chun is from China and that every Chinese would most likely know about Bruce Lee since he studied Wing Chun. As a result, I did not think this is a good commercial, and it did not attract me at all.
As I think deeply, I realized the true meaning behind this commercial – every flight attendant is obligated to protect every passenger. Since the 911 incident, every country is afraid of terrorists, and so is every airline. Most countries and airlines took numerous actions to prevent similar tragedies from happening again, and at the same time reassure travelers. Hong Kong Airlines reassure travelers by pointing out that their flight attendants will be able to protect every passenger. This increases the service value of Hong Kong Airlines.
In my point of view, it is a good marketing strategy to attract customers by taking good use of the opportunities (also threats) created by terrorists. Hong Kong Airlines targeted customers who want a safe trip. After getting new customers and retaining existing customers, Hong Kong Airlines will be able to achieve their goal, which is to go public next year.
However, nothing in the world is perfect. There is a big problem in the commercial. One may think that flight attendant may not be strong enough to subdue terrorists, or that they may be too confident of their own ability. Both will form another tragedy.