Sydney Ren's Blog

How many of us honestly pay attention to the flight attendants when they demonstrate how to use a life-vest? Like this author from Marketo’s blog writes, Virgin America brings the human element into advertising by making an informative advertisement that consumers can hum, sing, dance, and ultimately, relate to. Virgin had a plan to get people thinking about safety again – they launched the first ever musical safety video, which features notable choreographers and dancers from the popular show So You Think You Can Dance and singers from Idol grooving their way through all the required safety features in a humorous manner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtyfiPIHsIg

It was shocking to most viewers that Virgin is not just using the video as a PR campaign; the video will in fact be aired on flights starting by the end of this month. Personally, I believe Virgin is the only airline that can pull off these unexpected and unusual campaigns. In a highly standardized and regulated industry, Virgin has always been a standout from it’s good-humoured founder to it’s daring, cheeky, red uniforms designed by Vivienne Westwood, renowned British fashion designer credited for making modern punk mainstream. We all remember when Richard Branson dressed in drag as a female stewardess for losing a bet to CEO of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes. Given their eccentric brand image, the #VXsafetydance video was barely a gamble for Virgin and fit within their brand’s culture effectively.

The response to the safety video was practically all positive. YouTube comments stated, “Why can’t all airlines be like this?”. However, I wondered if the flashy video detracted from the safety aspect. If I watched this safety video on a flight, I would be too entertained to know where the safety exits around me are, for example. Despite these issues, the video has become a viral hit, garnering almost 7 million views on YouTube alone with many more shares on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.

In 2012, Nike gave Casey Neistat, a New York-based filmmaker, a budget to make an advertisement for the #makeitcount campaign and the Nike FuelBand. The video shows 10 days of Casey running around the world on Nike’s budget with quick cuts, daredevil stunts, a pulsing dance track, and inspirational quotes that fit the theme both the #makeitcount campaign and the original Just Do It slogan. The video feels spontaneous – perfect for Nike’s adrenaline-filled, fitness-loving target market.

The reaction, as suggested by the 10 million combined views on Nike and Casey’s YouTube channels, was explosive. It’s inspiring and motivating, raved fans. It’s a conceited, expensive travel log, claimed critics. Many pointed out that Casey isn’t seen with the Nike FuelBand, or with any other Nike apparel for that matter.

Two questions pop into my mind after watching this again. Was it really spontaneous? Casey stated that he came up with the overall idea of the video on the run. He also claimed it was a risk because Nike didn’t know about his plans. I don’t believe that Nike didn’t know about the concept from the start. Nike chose Casey for a reason; the directors must have seen his YouTube  videos and decided that they wanted a similar video for the ad.

More importantly, however, was it effective? The ad was supposed to showcase the FuelBand and support the #makeitcount campaign. I think the ad only accomplished the latter, but since Nike still benefited overall from the campaign, I believe the video was extremely effective. Casey produced an uninhibited ad that spoke to Nike’s target market, and that’s what matters. The 10 million views is a testament to how effective the ad was and still is for Nike.