Qantas expects more than 100 million people a year to see the new in-flight safety video unveiled by CEO Alan Joyce in Los Angeles.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The video, to be introduced on hundreds of daily flights from next month, features real Australians (not actors) in 16 stunning destinations, thus creating a showcase of amazing places to visit while informing passengers on flight safety.
The scenarios include: an oxygen mask demonstration at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, a life-jacket demonstration at Bondi Icebergs, a brace position demonstration during a yoga class on Hamilton Island, counting rows to the exit on a Yarra Valley winery and an emergency slide demonstration at Josephine Falls in Queensland.
"We have in the past used John Travolta, the Wallabies, a very cheesy commercial using the cricket team and we decided this time, we wanted to do something different. And who is the star of this? Well, it's Australia and Australian people," Mr Joyce said after screening the video he dubbed a "blockbuster" at The Mondrian Hotel, West Hollywood.
While the video is primarily about safety, it will also form the basis of a new tourism/promotional campaign by Qantas and Tourism Australia - the first collaboration between the two since 2012.
It's been agreed that Tourism Australia will lend its social media marketing power, helping the video reach more than 100 million people and heralding a revitalised working relationship between TA and Qantas.
Safety videos have increasingly become part of airlines' marketing, with many airlines attempting to emulate the success of Air New Zealand's humorous videos, which have been based around various celebrities, as well as the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. Some of the airline's videos have been viewed more than 15 million times.
Mr Joyce commented, 'We always said the reason we weren't working with Tourism Australia back in 2012 was there was a conflict of interest with the chairman (Geoff Dixon) that was there. There's a new chairman and CEO and we felt the timing was appropriate for working together again."
Qantas and Tourism Australia fell out in 2012 after Joyce accused former Qantas CEO Dixon of being part of a group of investors committed to "unravelling Qantas' structure and direction". Qantas suspended its 40-year relationship with the tourism body at the time.
The campaign comes at a time when tourism is growing at the fastest rate since the Sydney Olympics, setting new records for visitor numbers and spending.
Tourism Australia this week launched its latest advertisement aimed at international audiences, focusing on the country's coastal experiences and featuring a voice over by Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth.
Protecting Qantas' strong safety record and reputation is paramount according to Mr Joyce, who admitted that passengers tend to zone out or get distracted during in-flight safety videos.
"They read the papers, check their emails, look at their i-phones but it's part of our DNA to focus on safety."
The CEO's favourite person in the five minute clip that took 12 days to film is a Tasmanian fisherman who smokes trout and is given the task of warning passengers not to smoke on the plane.
At the launch, Mr Joyce enjoyed revealing that ironically, the fisherman doesn't actually enjoy fish.
Qantas is also looking for the positive in the plummeting Australian dollar.
"With the headwind of a lower dollar we have the potential to create a new tourism boom in this country," Mr Joyce said
Donna Demaio travelled to Los Angeles as a guest of Qantas.
