Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now
Marketplace Scratch Pad

Flying by the seat of your…

Scott Jagow Jun 29, 2009

I’m guessing passengers on Air New Zealand flights this morning didn’t just keep reading their newspapers when the in-flight safety video started playing. I mean, would you, if the flight crew was naked?

In the safety video and a related ad campaign, Air New Zealand employees (including the company’s CEO) are wearing nothing but body paint. They’re poking fun at other airlines, with their “hidden” fees.

The New York Times has the story, under the headline, To Stand Out, Airline Offers Peeled Kiwis:

“At Air New Zealand, our fares have nothing to hide,” the slogan goes. “Which is why the price you pay includes everything — up front…”

The mundane “undo the seatbelt by lifting the flap” may never have received such rapt attention as it now gets on this airline’s domestic flights.

This is the same airline that, last year, paid people to shave their heads and wear temporary tatoos saying: “Need a change? Head down to New Zealand.” For this campaign, employees weren’t paid anything extra.

Here’s the ad:

And here’s a look at how they made the commercial:

The catchy song in the videos, by the way, is “Under My Skin” by New Zealand singer Gin Wigmore.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.