Flights of fantasy: Airline adds a little magic

Auckland – Air New Zealand is using the power of fiction to engage consumers, turning a 777-300 into a flying poster for Peter Jackson’s forthcoming film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and redesigning its safety video with inspiration from Middle Earth.

Wrapped with fantasy imagery along its 73m length, the Hobbit-themed aircraft has arrived in London to pick up the film’s cast members for the world premiere in Wellington on 28 November. Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe said the company wanted passengers ‘to experience the magic of Middle Earth as soon as they set foot on this aircraft’.

Inflight safety videos are rarely seen by non-captive audiences, but Air New Zealand’s new film, An Unexpected Briefing, features the full range of elves and wizards from JRR Tolkien’s fictional universe and has racked up nearly 10m YouTube views.

Consumers are often more receptive to serious messages when they are delivered through storytelling, as we detailed in our Personality Brands microtrend.