Tag Archives: american airlines

If you hadn’t noticed, American Airlines recently changed its logo. I was pretty surprised when it popped up in my Facebook feed.  I like it.

A logo change is usually a big deal for a company. All new stationary, business cards, all sorts of stuff needs updating. Now imagine you have a fleet of passenger jets. Yikes!

American Airlines produces good Videos

American is pretty good about using video to inform its passengers. They produced one of my all-time favorite corporate videos, and the latest one involves giving their planes an all new look (VIDEO). While it’s not exactly award-winning storytelling, I enjoyed it and learned some interesting things.

That’s what video can do for you as a business. American picked a subject they thought would interest people (painting a plane) and delivered content to satisfy that interest.

What’s something you’re doing at your business that might peak someone’s interest?

–Tony Gnau

Another good behind-the-scenes video today from American Airlines. Good, not great. There are some rough edits, but it’s still pretty good and I LOVE the concept.

American’s leaders understand there’s all sorts of aspects about their business people might find interesting, so they regularly do these types of videos. In this case, it’s the process of buying a new airplane.

That’s Them, Not Us

You might be thinking to yourself… sure, they’re an airline. There are tons of things they can produce videos about that viewers will find interesting. I don’t do anything special that people will watch.

Trust me. There are people at American who once felt the same way. Guaranteed there are people there who are always prepping new planes and don’t think it’s anything special. When you do something everyday, or frequently, it might not seem interesting to you, but in the hands of a quality storyteller it becomes something that will capture an audience.

Look Using The eyes of your customers

The idea is to start looking at your business through the eyes of your customers and prospects. What are the things you’re doing that might peek their curiosity?

Remember, it’s not about you. It’s about the audience. Focus your videos on what they might want to watch.

–Tony Gnau

I blogged last week about American Airlines’ pre-flight video. In short, I loved it and couldn’t believe American had created a video about something we practically know by heart and got me to watch.

That post prompted a Facebook comment I thought was worth some further exploration. Katie wrote…

This is a good reminder that even when your audience is “captive” you need to produce something good if you want them to actually pay attention! Makers of training videos… listen up!!

Really good point. Certainly for training videos, but really any type of video. I think back to some of the boring videos I’ve seen at conferences. Quality matters… whether your audience is clicking through on the web, or they’re a captive audience that “has” to watch.

The truth is you could have people watching but not paying attention. We all have the ability to tune things out, so your captive audience still might not be getting your message.

The solution? Produce quality videos. Make sure they’re shot and edited well. Help people connect with the content by incorporating the information into a compelling story.

And if you don’t know how to do it… hire a pro who’s a dedicated storyteller.

–Tony Gnau

Knowing we’d be shooting in San Diego last week, I was keeping my eye open for stuff to blog about after we got back. Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d be praising a pre-flight video.

Yes, the one about exits, seat belts and floatation devices. American Airlines actually produced a nice video explaining all the usual stuff we’re accustomed to hearing before takeoff. I was hoping to find it on YouTube to share with you, but I didn’t come across it so my description will have to suffice.

It features employees from all across the company… pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers, et cetera… all reading the standard pre-flight check list.

What made it noteworthy was that each employee recited their lines in different environments. In other words, baggage handlers were loading bags onto planes, pilots were in the cockpit and they would cut from one person to the next after each line. Sometimes there were split screens with demonstrations, like buckling the seat belt.

Nothing revolutionary, but you know what? It caught my attention, it kept me watching, and I wasn’t the only one. People who normally don’t pay attention to that stuff being said over a public address system were watching the video.

Why? It was well-produced and people like watching videos.

It’s the reason why businesses need to be using video to communicate with clients, employees, you name it.

Provide a nice video. Promote it. People watch.

–Tony Gnau

This is San Diego week here at the T60 blog. We took a trip out west last Monday and Tuesday for a shoot, and I did my best to accumulate some good material to write about.

First-up, I was THRILLED to see that Chicago-based celebrity chef Rick Bayless has a Frontera Grill spinoff in O’Hare Airport’s American Airlines terminal called Frontera Tortas. If you’re not familiar with Bayless, you’re probably not a foodie. Suffice to say, he’s one of our nation’s best chefs and his specialty is Mexican cuisine.

What struck me is he didn’t miss a beat with this grab-n-go food stand. My sandwich was outstanding… second best breakfast sandwich I have ever eaten (The Commuter at La Grande Orange Grocery in Phoenix remains the champ)… but the other thing was that he didn’t miss a beat marketing-wise.

There are two TVs in the small bar area where you can eat. One was tuned to the Olympics, the other was tuned to Mexico: One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless… his TV show.

I’m sure they just run episode after episode on a loop, and why not? There have to be tons of people passing through O’Hare who have never heard of Rick Bayless, so why not take the opportunity to introduce him using the best means available… video.

Bayless is one of the most decorated chefs in the country, but he doesn’t rely on his ability in the kitchen to make an impression. He uses well-produced video to carry his passion for Mexican food to as many people as possible.

Business leaders could learn a thing or two from him… one torta at a time.

–Tony Gnau

As I mentioned yesterday, our San Diego shoot inspired a bunch of blog posts. Here’s a tease ahead to next week…

Frontera Tortas: I was excited to see that celebrity chef Rick Bayless has his own restaurant in O’Hare Airport’s American Airlines terminal. It serves all sorts of gourmet tortas. I was there in the morning and had one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. While sitting at the bar eating, I looked up at the TV and was impressed with what I saw. It wasn’t the Olympics.

American Airlines Safety Video: yes, the video that tells us all to buckle-up and points out that our seats are also flotation devices. Of all things that could impress me, this might have been the most surprising. The video was… terrific. It was a whole new spin on something we’ve all seen before.

Print Turn Video: this is something I’ve written about in the past, but it was driven home during our trip. Print publications that now offer video. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s happening in all sorts of different ways.

Don’t Pass Up Good Shots: we’ve all be there. You’re producing a video, you’ve been shooting all day and put away your gear, you’re tired and thinking about evening plans… when… you spot a good shot. Do you take that camera back out? We did… and I’ll show you why.

–Tony Gnau

I’ll tell you what… American Airlines is producing some pretty good videos. If you’re in marketing or public relations, you should be taking notes because they’re doing a lot of things right.

American is in total PR mode. The CEO is reportedly on a “recovery” tour, pumping up customers and employees following the company filing for bankruptcy last November.

To go along with the tour, company officials produced a video. It’s terrific. Nothing revolutionary, just good videography, nice editing and solid storytelling.

One of the reasons I’m highlighting it is because the first two-thirds is simply a good example of an “About Us” video. It features customers and employees, and it’s just great to see how a major corporation produces something every company should have on its website.

For you small business owners, or you PR/marketing folks who help small business owners, there’s no reason you can’t have a quality video like this produced. Some of the shooting techniques might be toned down a bit to save costs, but the storytelling and message are totally doable.

–Tony Gnau

Video is a great way to take people behind-the-scenes of your company, and I have a terrific example for you today.

American Airlines sent this video out yesterday via Facebook… Where does a bag go after it’s checked?

It’s exactly what a behind-the-scenes video should be. American takes something they do everyday that we never get to see… move and transport luggage… and show us exactly how it’s done.

What do you do at your business that goes unseen? It doesn’t have to be something as technically complicated as moving bags. Even something simple can be elevated with quality storytelling.

Take people behind-the-scenes and show them the great things you do when they’re not looking.

–Tony Gnau

American Airlines has produced some good videos in the past, and they keep up the tradition with their latest offering. It’s called, “New York Subway Station Domination.”

The airline must have some solid market research showing that subway advertising works for them because this is the second video they’ve based around the subject.

I love the fact that neither uses sound bites or narration to drive the story. They’re made up entirely of music, images, and solid editing. American clearly works with some talented producers because in their hands… that’s all they need to tell a quality story.

That first video is flat-out one of my favorites. This latest video isn’t quite as good, but it’s a solid effort. I think it would have been even better had they chopped it down by a minute. Running nearly two-and-a-half minutes, it’s way too long. The music and editing deliver terrific pacing, but it just keeps going and going.

Other than that… I love it. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Maybe they’ll put ads on subway passengers?

–Tony Gnau

Great example today of a storyteller versus a corporate video production. Both center around the same story, but they are not created equal.

American Airlines produces a lot of videos for its YouTube channel. Some are clearly done by pros… others… not so much.

On this occasion, they produced something on their annual charity… The Snowball Express. WTVF Newschannel 5 in Nashville also covered the story. What a difference!

WTVF’s story is well-shot, well-edited, and tells an excellent story. The American Airlines version… well… you be the judge. Watch the WTVF story first…

• VIDEO: WTVF-Snowball Express
• VIDEO: American Airlines-Snowball Express

This is a missed opportunity for American. They had the right idea to highlight their charity effort. It’s a wonderful cause, but they fail to tap any emotions.

Shooting and editing some video isn’t good enough. This is a great example of why businesses need to find quality storytellers for their content.

–Tony Gnau