I’ve always thought that Etihad has among the best branding of any airline. It’s one of their strong points for sure. While the airline has been cost cutting like crazy when it comes to the passenger experience, up until now they’ve still been spending a lot of money on sponsorships.
Etihad has long been sponsoring fashion events, and they recently launched “Runway to Runway,” which they describe as their “new loyalty programme designed by Etihad Guest specifically for the fashion industry.” So Etihad decided to have fashion be the focal point of their newest safety video:
On the plus side, Etihad’s old safety video was never terribly exciting, so it’s not like it’s replacing something great. However, I can’t help but think this is such a missed opportunity. A vast majority of passengers won’t get why the safety video is so fashion focused, and for that matter, I don’t even fully understand how the “Runway to Runway” program works.
The reason I view this as such a missed opportunity is because:
- Etihad has some of the most physically stunning onboard products, so why not highlight those?
- One of the main points of the airline is to promote Abu Dhabi, so why not give the video a destination focus, like Qantas, Middle East Airlines, Oman Air, Philippine Airlines, Singapore, etc.
For example, check out this captivating video about Abu Dhabi:
If you didn’t know anything about Abu Dhabi, wouldn’t that instantly make you want to visit? Imagine if they could give the safety video a similar theme.
Etihad has also had some stunning ads that subtly feature their onboard products (especially the Residence), like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcEfKovFzf0
Imagine if they could similarly integrate that into a safety video.
Bottom line
I guess the new video is better than the old video, which had no pizzaz. At the same time, I can’t help but feel like the new video is a lost opportunity. Rather than marketing their onboard products and city (which they’ve done an amazing job of in the past), they make it fashion focused, and many people won’t get the connection.
What do you make of Etihad’s new safety video?
(Tip of the hat to @jdeliens)
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