Todrick Hall and Virgin America: A Good Combination

If you have never heard of Todrick Hall, let me explain to you just how cool he is. Todrick is a YouTube sensation and an amazing choreographer, dancer, and musician. One of my favorite videos he has done is Cinderfella; a parody on the classic Cinderella love story. The video that I am referring to though, has a different impact than some of Todrick’s other videos. This video is a creative publicity and advertising tool created by him in partnership with Virgin America Airlines. We all know how monotonous and boring the safety instructions at the beginning of a flight can be, but Virgin America and Todrick Hall decided to turn that around and make it a fun and entertaining experience. This video is just another example of Todrick’s brilliance, considering he choreographed and created the entire idea.  Not only did this video go viral, but Virgin America is now able to use this videos on all of their flights. This might encourage travelers to choose Virgin next time they are planning a trip.

Not only is this a great move for Virgin America, but it is also positive for Todrick. Him doing this video was just another tool for him to get his name out there. Being associated with this large company was a smart move to further propel his career.

           

         I think this safety video is a very clever idea. The song is catchy and the dance is creative. I think it is a great promotional tool and something that other airlines might consider doing when evaluating their informational process. Not only would I recommend this video purely for entertainment, but I would also suggest that you take a look at some of Todrick’s other work. Below is the Virgin America video, as well as Cinderfella, which I mentioned earlier.

Airline Safety Videos Takes Flight with New Trend

Over the past decade, airlines have decided to spice up their flights by producing safety videos with new twists. Now, instead of smiling stewardesses and boring diagrams, several airline companies have come up with creative ways to tell you how to correctly buckle your seatbelt.

This video, produced by Virgin America in 2007, began the steady trend of attempting to entertainment their audiences, rather than just preach safety to a crowd of sleeping or frustrated flyers. It's dry humor and doodle-like design are thanks to Anomoly, a branding firm and the video's animators, Gordon P. Clark, Nick Hewitt, and Mike Overbeck.

After the launch of this quirky animation, Delta Airlines and Air New Zealand joined in the fun. In 2011, Air New Zealand released a video featuring none other than Richard Simmons. Starting out as a normal safety video, we are pleasantly surprised when a fully decked out Simmons struts center stage with his jubilant crew not far behind. A good tactic by Air New Zealand, knowing it takes a special person to ignore Simmons' charisma.

My personal favorites are from this year, from Delta and Virgin America. Delta takes us back to the 80s with their retro take on airplane safety. Sporting mullets, neon and recognizable icons such as Alf and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Airplane! anyone?), the confused passengers demonstrate how to use modern safety technology on the plane.

Virgin America's latest video takes the cake for me. Starring youtube sensation Todrick Hall by director Jon M. Chu, this video is another turning point for safety videos around the world. The entire production is a music video, complete with clever lyrics and amazing dance moves from the cast without losing the educational purpose. After this, I'm excited to see what the following years of safety videos have to offer.

Last but not least, this ridiculous safety video from Air New Zealand has nerds everywhere booking flights to the country where Middle Earth was set. Using their connection with the film trilogy Lord of the Rings, Air New Zealand came out with a video in 2012 featuring our favorite characters from the movies struggling to follow safety instructions. There's even cameos from Sir Peter Jackson himself, and the ever loveable Gollum.

No matter how awesome or awful these safety videos are, anything's better than the dry, snooze worthy videos that came before. Keep up the good work guys.

Cue The Slow Clap for Virgin America

We've all been through that painfully boring safety video at the beginning of a flight. Now take a second to think about the last time you actually watched it...it's been a while, hasn't it? I always talk to the passenger next to me, even if I don't know them, instead of paying attention, or maybe even start a Sudoku. But then, Virgin America changed the game. Their new pre-flight safety video presents the important information through song. Watch the extremely catchy video that was released on Tuesday below.

The innovative video was written and performed by YouTube sensation Todrick Hall. He's known by many as the guy who sings his order at McDonald's and Subway and other restaurants. He also is known for mashing up popular songs to tell a story. If you're interesting in seeing more of his work, you can check out two of my favorites: "CinderFella" and "The Wizard of Ahhhs," which features the well-known a cappella group Pentatonix.

"Cinderfella"

"The Wizard of Ahhhs"

It was only a matter of time until a company snatched up Todrick and made a killer song that was bound to go viral, so congrats to Virgin America for being the lucky one. What a genius idea to put a rap and hip-hop twist on the informative video. Directed by Hollywood blockbuster director Jon M. Chu ("G.I. Joe: Retaliation," "Step Up 2"), the video includes a plethora of talented dancers, singers and choreographers, some of which you may recognize from shows like "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance."

Unfortunately, two days after the video debuted, a rule was changed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Now, passengers are allowed to use their cellphones from gate-to-gate to play video games and watch movies, as long as they aren't making calls. That makes the video already outdated, as one line asks passengers to shut off their electronics. Editing should fix that problem fairly easily. The airline is actually holding a talent audition via Instagram, and the winner will appear in the updated version of the in-flight safety video.

I am just so impressed with Virgin America. With a catchy tune that makes you want to get up and dance, this marketing is absolutely fantastic. I've never flown Virgin America, but I really want to after seeing this.