Air New Zealand has released a new in-flight safety video featuring Betty White, according to NBC News.
The video is called "Safety Old School Style" and is set in a retirement community. Betty White is best known for her roles in "Golden Girls and "Hot In Cleveland."
The airline decided to have older people instruct modern-day travelers, because they are older and have been there and done that.
"If you want to know about survival, talk to us; because you're going to want some advice from people who have been there and done that," White said at the beginning of the video.
It also includes other familiar faces, including Gavin MacLeod from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and Jimmy Weldon, who was the voice of Yakky Doodle Duck on "The Yogi Bear Show."
The videos are "first and foremost a means of communicating important safety messages," Jodi Williams, the head of global brand development for Air New Zealand, said. This approach to delivering the message is "incredibly effective by getting people onboard our aircraft to actually take notice."
The airline feels like the video is a good investment in their brand, as well. Creative videos cost more to produce than traditional ones, but "they double as an incredibly effective tool for raising brand awareness globally," Williams said, noting that safety videos, including "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Briefing," has been viewed online almost 11 million times.
"Air New Zealand has possibly done more for airline safety than any other airline in the world, all while entertaining travelers and thinking differently about aviation marketing," Shashank Nigam, the CEO of SimpliFlying, a global aviation marketing strategy, said.
Other airlines have used similar methods, including Virgin America and Delta Air Lines.
Previously, Air New Zealand has produced safety videos starring Richard Simmons, characters from the Hobbit movies, as well as scantily clad crewmembers.
"Safety Old School"
"An Unexpected Briefing"
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