Is it time Air New Zealand stopped their safety video onslaught of cringe?

Air New Zealand / YouTube
Air NZ's latest safety video sees Entourage star Adrien Grenier head to Antarctica to look at climate change.

OPINION: Isn't it about time Air New Zealand simply got on with the job of flying planes rather than producing high-gloss cultural cringe safety videos?

The latest one to hit your face while you squirm in your seat waiting for the plane to take off has launched today.

It stars former Entourage bro Adrien Grenier, who's now carving a career out as a social activist and environmentalist, getting a tour of Antarctica with the team to learn about global warming.

Adrien Grenier, former Entourage star turned environmentalist, and now star of Air New Zealand's Antarctic safety video.
AIR NEW ZEALAND / YOUTUBE
Adrien Grenier, former Entourage star turned environmentalist, and now star of Air New Zealand's Antarctic safety video.

And delivering such bon mots as  "wow" when he sets his eyes upon a group of seals. 

Eye-opening and enlightening indeed.

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Meanwhile, 22 pupils aged 8 to 11 from Christchurch's Hornby Primary School also play a starring role, appearing in footage shot in Canterbury Museum's Antarctic Gallery.

They don't get to experience the thrill of Scott Base or Antarctic life, because Air New Zealand's desire to raise awareness of Antarctica and the research there means only six people travelled to the ice to keep the global footprint lower.

They don't get to team up with Scott Base scientists to track penguin populations, study ice core samples and visit early explorer Ernest Shackleton's hut and the vast Dry Valleys.

Air New Zealand's latest safety video treads a fine line given our history with Antarctica.
AIR NEW ZEALAND / SUPPLIED
Air New Zealand's latest safety video treads a fine line given our history with Antarctica.

Wouldn't that have been more special? To actively encourage the next generation of global environmentalists and inspire them to greater things?

To be fair to Air New Zealand, the video's release comes with a wealth of supporting TV and online content which looks at the work being done there.

I'm pretty sure those being subjected to this repeatedly on planes are likely to watch once and simply ignore it.

MORNING REPORT/RNZ
It's the location of New Zealand's worst ever air disaster and now it's the location for Air New Zealand's latest safety video.

We've been flying for so many years now that I suspect everyone knows how to buckle up a seatbelt or to not leave the tray table down on a flight.

There's also the haunting spectre of what Mt Erebus and Antarctica means to New Zealanders away from the glossy edges of this latest extended promo.

Nearly 40 years after Air NZ flight 901 crashed into Mt Erebus, killing all 257 on board, the continent still has an irrevocable link with a national tragedy. And while Air NZ bosses wrote to families of those affected by the tragedy informing them of their intentions, you can't help but feel that this latest effort seems a little tone deaf at best.

Exploring ice caves on Antarctica is cool if you're a Hollywood elite - kids back in Christchurch get to watch it all on a big screen.
AIR NEW ZEALAND / YOUTUBE
Exploring ice caves on Antarctica is cool if you're a Hollywood elite - kids back in Christchurch get to watch it all on a big screen.

I get that this plethora of videos is supposed to be a light-hearted look at what makes New Zealand unique and a celebration of what we have on the global stage.

I get that they are marketing successes every time they launch – one only has to look at the column inches devoted to either the All Blacks as the Men In Black safety video, or the Lord Of The Rings video to see that each unleashing of them is a viral marketing victory.

This latest with its collection of bad dad jokes, goofy American tourist vibe and degree of Hollywood privilege simply seems to me like the bottom of the barrel being scraped.

Wreckage of Air New Zealand DC10 which crashed into Mt Erebus, Antarctica, Nov 28, 1979.
POOL
Wreckage of Air New Zealand DC10 which crashed into Mt Erebus, Antarctica, Nov 28, 1979.

Air New Zealand may cry educational value to the video, but quite frankly, the only bit of the video that really connects with its child audience is the visit from the penguins, the long-term inhabitants of Antarctica.

If anything, there's a message for Air New Zealand there – stop faffing about trying to be clever, and go back to basics. Because that's what clearly works with your captive audience.

What do you think of Air New Zealand's new safety video? Let us know in the comments.

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