A new spin on an old tune

I’ve been flying a lot this year for a myriad of reasons, and one of the biggest changes I’ve seen has been allowing cell phones to be on (albeit in “Airplane Mode”) for the duration of the trip. That means those travelers who might have paid attention to the safety videos before are even less likely to now. However, one of the things that I’ve noticed is that airlines are pretty good at coming up with new ways to present their safety videos, from the cheesy to the slightly scandalous, and the wackier the video or presentation, the more likely people are to take notice.

In fact, many airline safety videos are available to watch by doing a simple search on YouTube. New Zealand Airlines has created some of the funniest ones, in my opinion. Their Hobbit-themed safety video (complete with cameos by Elijah Wood and Sir Peter Jackson) has gotten more than 13 million views, and their “Bare essentials” version has 7.4 million. I’ve never flown New Zealand Airlines, but I already have a positive impression of the company.
 

But the basic idea is the same no matter which airline it is or how serious or funny the video is — communicate essential information to passengers. Delta Airlines says it best in the description of one of the comical safety videos on its YouTube channel: “Safety information is information that no one should miss, even if they’ve heard it a dozen times. So to help encourage even the most frequent of frequent fliers to pay attention, we’re constantly adding fresh scenes and moments of fun. It’s part of Delta’s commitment to making every part of our passengers’ flights a memorable one.”

It’s not necessarily about offering customers a product or service that you haven’t already been offering. It’s about presenting things in a new, fun and memorable way. What are you doing at your garden center to make customers remember their experience at your store?

If you’re running short on ideas, not to worry. This month, in our annual marketing and merchandising issue, we share some great concepts that we’ve seen throughout the year. And don’t miss this year’s Top Independent Garden Centers list on page 19. We’ve doubled the list to include even more great retail operations.

Happy Holidays!

kvarga@gie.net