Cathay Pacific blends safety with scenic Hong Kong in new film

Ahhh, travel. Human beings, unlike the rooted trees of the forest, seem to have an insatiable wanderlust. Ad Nut has observed that humans can hardly stay in one place for long—always itching to explore new horizons.

Well, you won't catch Ad Nut jetting off anytime soon. Scaling the trees in the ever-changing and treacherous woodland is high enough for this old nut, whose bouts of vertigo have undoubtedly worsened with age. Keeping all feet firmly on terra firma is what Ad Nut prefers.

However, for those frequent flyers among you, Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific has just unveiled its new in-flight safety video. It's little wonder the six-minute video was developed in close collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, as it spectacularly showcases the city's best bits while rather creatively weaving in all the important in-flight safety instructions.

In one part of the film, we see Hong Kong's famous Peak Tram as the setting to demonstrate seatbelt safety. In another, we see the summit of the city's Dragon's Back hiking trail as the location to demonstrate how to fit an oxygen mask correctly. And in yet another scene, we arrive at a Hong Kong dragon boat racing competition, where we're shown how to wear a life jacket.

All the safety demonstrations are cleverly interwoven with the unique charms of Hong Kong. It takes what would otherwise be a dull demonstration video and elevates it by skilfully pairing it with the energy and vibrancy of Hong Kong, a city renowned for always being on the move.

Produced by VCCP, the film was developed in close collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) to ensure that all safety protocols have been addressed to educate passengers in an informative way.

“From the opening moments in bustling Causeway Bay, the film takes us across a breadth of the Hong Kong experience: from dai pai dong to cha chaan teng, Cantonese opera to dragon boat racing, and from the iconic Peak Tram to Shek O Beach,” shared Andrew Hook, executive creative director at VCCP Singapore. “Throughout the different scenes, physical signs are embedded into the environment—all made from scratch by our hugely talented art department team—which together reflect the unique textures and multi-faceted character of the Hong Kong cityscape.”

“In creating our new safety video we worked with VCCP to ensure that all Cathay Pacific's safety procedures are clearly explained but also peppered in a bit of Hong Kong's culture to make sure we keep people watching," added Edward Bell, general manager for brand, insights and marketing communications at Cathay Pacific.

In recent years, there's been an emerging trend in trying to get passengers to watch in-flight safety videos—a tall order at the best of times. Consequently, they've evolved to be as action-packed and attention-grabbing as possible, even rivalling blockbuster movies in the action stakes at times. From Air New Zealand's "The Hobbit" to Virgin America's "Safety Dance" to Delta Airlines' "80s Safety Video," these videos have gained popularity for their creativity. Other notable examples include Qantas' "Outback Safety" featuring John Cleese, Turkish Airlines' "Lego Movie Safety Video," and Icelandair's "Stopover Buddy" videos.

Cathay's film is a pleasant watch, achieving two key things: In-flight safety demonstrations as well as showcasing the unique charms of Hong Kong, capturing the city’s iconic skyscrapers, bustling cityscapes, natural landscapes, and cultural landmarks.

Ad Nut might just be persuaded to book a flight to visit Hong Kong after all.