I love airline boarding music. Last year I even wrote a post about what I consider to be the best airline boarding music out there. It’s not that I’d ever select an airline based on their boarding music, but boarding music is one of the things I associate with certain airlines. I remember the first time I flew Emirates, and one of the first things I recall is stepping aboard the plane and the great boarding music. As humans we make associations with experiences based on the music we’re listening to at the time, and I think flying is no exception.
In many cases boarding music is a tie-in of the airline’s branding, and that can be a powerful thing.
On my list last year for favorite airline boarding music was Etihad, which had one of my favorite boarding music tracks. Here’s 30 minutes of it:
There’s something about it which I find so uplifting and sort of mystical. When I think of the airline, that soundtrack is one of the first things which comes to mind for me. And if I’m perfectly honest, I listen to it almost every day. I find it to be great music to work to, so I probably have the song playing on repeat for at least five hours a week, on average. The video of the boarding music track has almost 700,000 views on YouTube, and I’m guessing a good percentage of those are from me.
It actually helps me work more efficiently. Something about the track makes me concentrate better and also write faster.
Etihad Airways has rebranded over the past year or so, with the introduction of their Airbus A380. They rebranded so many of their products, and also launched a stunning new ad campaign.
Perhaps their most popular ad has been the “Flying Reimagined” one starring Nicole Kidman, which is visually stunning:
I also especially love these rather over-the-top “staff” videos they made, about their butlers and onboard chefs:
While I loved Etihad’s old boarding music, their rebranding has also resulted in new boarding music, which I enjoy just as much. Etihad Airways has just uploaded it to YouTube:
As you can see, it’s the same soundtrack they use in most of their ads, and I think it’s brilliant. I think the best way I can describe it is as imaginative and mysterious, which I sort of get the sense is what Etihad is going for.
Now I just have to decide whether I’ll be working to the “new” or “old” track in the future. Or maybe I’ll mix it up?
Do you prefer Etihad’s old or new boarding music? And anyone love their branding as much as I do?
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