Monday 6 July 2009

Stripped Bare

The economy has been hard on everyone.

Take the poor airlines. Has anyone else noticed how more and more planes seem to be 'dropping out of the sky?'

Even our beloved Qantas Airlines, which is the only airline in the world not to have had a fatal crash since it started flying Boeings, has had numerous 'incidents' in the last 12 months as the result of ‘mechanical failure’. In other words, my words, maintenance has been outsourced where labour is cheaper and standards are more questionable.

Corners are being cut left, right and centre. So all airlines are looking at ways to attract new customers.

My hat goes off to Air New Zealand who has come up with a unique way of trimming the fat and at the same time, giving customers a reason to fly with them.

They recently released an advertisement called Bare Essentials which features body painted staff. Yes, it seems they are giving each staff member a paint by number set to colour in their own uniforms. Imagine the savings!

All jokes aside, they aren't giving up uniforms just yet but the airline has decided to expand its use of body painted staff from advertisements to the in-flight safety video used on 737 domestic flights.

Starting this week, thousands of Air New Zealand passengers will now get their flight safety instructions from staff wearing nothing but body paint.

It hopes to catch the attention of those travellers who ignore the safety video.



As a makeup artist who has done body painting for creative projects, I think there is a time and place. I hope they stop there.

I give them ten points for creative effort but I am still only taking my hat off for them. Nothing else.

At this rate, I wonder how long it's going to take before they change their name to Air Nude Zealand?

To watch the making of the airline's TV advertisesment, click here. You have got to love that Kiwi accent!!

49 comments:

  1. Love those painted bodysuits they were wearing. At first, I thought they were computer-generated!

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  2. @Lady Fi - no just makeup and bare skin. They look uniforms though.

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  3. I have a confession. Body painting creeps me out. I have no idea why, but it gives me the willies.

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  4. Doesn't that stuff itch? That is all I could think of...LOL

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  5. Nothing like being creative! But whatever floats their boat -- I hope it works for them. It will surely entertain passengers! Well, at least for a while.

    Great shot and post!
    Have a great week, Lilly!

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  6. Why wear anything?!?!

    I am doing a post about the office in England that decided to have Naked Day at work. Awesome.

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  7. Gotta love it, another way to relieve long flight bordom!
    I am so fair and every year I try a little self tanner and I always itch and look bad..bad enough that my family begs me not to tan... I just did it yesterday for the first time this year...now all my age spots are darker...whohoo!

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  8. "Air Nude Zealand"... ha ha ha :)

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  9. thanks so I assume this has been shown on TV downunder?

    After checking this out more I found a blooper one. Very funny. About the middle there is a shot of the FA getting some instruction on her positioning. She remarks "they are forty". Funny and great that they are willing to share that with everyone.

    Well if I just wore body paint you would be able to see how well I fillin that economy seat.

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  10. CathM, Ha, thats a great one!!

    My husband was reading about this and shared a portion with me... but he left out one minor detail... THE BODY PAINT... he just told me they were nude... the male mind at work I imagine in leaving out that one tiny detail :)

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  11. that's wild that they'll actually be working in body paint..

    I cruised your bloglist last night and found 5 great new blogs to add to mine, thanks Lilly. I figured if you like them..

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  12. Jeez, what will they think of next. It's a cute idea but I'd prefer a clothed flight attendant serving me lunch :-)

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  13. At least its pretty sedate and i thinki peoplewill watch just to see ho mich will be revealed. Air New Zealand must have pretty creative advertising people. It wasnt that long ago that they held a casting call to find 75 men and women who'd be willing to have their heads shaved and a temporary tattoo applied. They even invented a new name for the four year old human advertising tactic: Cranial Advertising. Ooo...sounds sooooo much more official than headvertising, doesn't it? Good luck to them, they will get lots of viral advertising with this.

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  14. Hey Lilly
    These adverts made the news here in Canada, I think that is so very clever! I have to say I am so with you on the query of safety! I know if I had a choice when I am flying I am going to think twice before I get on an Airbus!

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  15. Uh, no thanks, I'll pass. I just have this little problem with health-code issues that I must certainly think they must be breaking. Oh, hell no!

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  16. I enjoyed this very much and paid attention to the entire video. I thought it was in good taste.

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  17. I must admit I watched the safety video too all the way through but not sure I would watch it twice so what will they do next to get people's attention? The advertising, which I cant find a video for was actually really clever too. Ah well it gave some makeup artists some valuable work at least.

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  18. what fun and very amusing ...Lilly you bring a little wicked smile to my face all the time.

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  19. Good for them! That's what I call lateral thinking!

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  20. um.... that seatbelt "low and tight across the lap" was a close call... but luckily much was still left up to the imagination. oh and I LOVE the kiwi accent!

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  21. I think it's a great idea and a bit of fun. That's why I like flying Virgin Airways - they have a sense of humor at least.

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  22. Woah, if you didnt say it I would have thought that they were just normal clothes lol. Had to look really hard to notice...

    Do that on flight would be taking it a bit too far though...

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  23. That's a weird idea. I'd prefer that they used the money to pay an extra mechanic or something!

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  24. Very good and it was very well done. It wasn't immediately obvious that it was all body paint - I had to study it! :)

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  25. Is this how desperate the Airlines have become?? Oh My! As many people have said---instead of this, take that money and put it into the maintainence of their planes, etc.

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  26. Thank you for that Lilly!
    And I nearly lost it when the "floor strip lighting" was pointed out.

    I wonder how many takes it took to get that vid just right?

    Well done but enough..

    Peace - Rene

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  27. Do Air New Zealand fly from Edinburgh to Dublin? I'm going there in a couple of weeks...

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  28. Okkkkk.... creative, yes. But.. ehhh, what about the age group of travelers? Weird, strange, but people might fly them, just for the (ahem) sights.

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  29. Dear Lilly, I loved your 'Party Like' post! It started me thinking of years past and all the great partying I've done. Certainly all night parties were the best. One of my favorites was playing tennis all night long under lights we had to keep putting quarters in ... with my sister in Athens, Ohio! Home of Ohio University and the ultimate party town. Also sitting around neighbors' pools all night long in the 70's .. believing things would always be that much fun ~ that good! And today realizing it's never too late to party like that again. However, my brain needs to tell my body that!

    We saw the Air New Zealand commercial on a newscast the other evening and laughed hysterically! Oh, the mere thought of everyone's eyes glued to the monitors. What a way to present your message!

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  30. My favorite was when one flight attendant did a rap song through the safety procedures! It was AWESOME!!

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  31. That's hilarious -- and very creative!

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  32. Hi Lilly ~ Can you imagine how long it would take to get dressed each morning....if no help was there, there would be a rather 'naked' strip running all down the back. Unless one was a contortionist of course.

    Watched both vid's. The one sinister thing is how they keep smiling when they are adopting the 'brace-position'...it almost made me look forward to it (I hope that's not tasteless)

    In the old days, I equally used to be fascinated how the drawn characters on the safety cards all had little smiles on their faces, as they put on lifejackets and oxygen masks...

    xhenry

    ps I thought the 'shocked wife' in the actual vid was perhaps the most amazing piece of over-acting I've seen for a while...

    great fun

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  33. Do you have any idea how much money someone would have to pay me to be in that little clip?

    Lots and lots.

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  34. Very creative. Good post.

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  35. I wonder how long it takes for them to get "dressed".

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  36. I think its really creative and funny. I don't think they will be doing it in the air somehow, its too cold!

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  37. A The Blonde Duck - making an ad would be legal or even a vidoe. Wearing nothing on board an actual flight may be so. Air New Zealand arent suggesting they do that at this point. I think its just a gimmick and a way to attract people to fly with them.

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  38. Oh I hope you don't stay away too long, Lilly....I feel like we are just getting to know one another and I will miss you, already!
    ENJOY, ENJOY, my dear!

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  39. Awwwwwwwwwwwww...........

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  40. Well, that's certainly different. Aviation standards are very high here in Australia, yet the fact that pretty new planes are going down (albeit overseas) is worrying.

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  41. I just love the accent. I'd forgotten HOW different it is from an Aussie one. Some might not notice it but I do. I not only lived in Oz as you know, but spent some time in NZ. I couldn't make up my mind if I thought it was funny/cute or just plain tacky!! :)) Either way, the best part for was the accent....and it looked like the people doing it/being painted were having fun, which made it fun to watch the making of the video.

    Good to be here again, been swamped with work but have thought of you so many times. I have a lot of catching up to do. Sending you hugs my dear friend. You are never forgotten. :)

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  42. Hi Lilly I m here after a long time, and I loved this post as usual. Dont go fishing just when I return. I just did a new post@
    www.innergodliness.com

    I will give 10 points for their creativty, but what about women folk ? They might want to paint the musclemen with their 8 pack abs for them next. Also I give 20 on 10 to your taking 'your hat off' to them.
    cheers..!!!

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  43. OK... Let's be honest here. If I saw that on the screen in an airplane,it would certainly get MY attention.

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  44. I have a blogging idea now !!!!!!!!


    hmmmmmmm, where are those paints ??

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  45. I guess it is good to try new things but it really seems kind of pointless.

    Body paint is amazing though - I cannot believe how realistic it really does look.

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  46. I will be booking a ticket on Air New Zealand if this is what they serve up....

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Thanks for your comments.