One must watch the safety video first! Those of you who have traveled by plane have had the experience of watching a flight attendant give a safety demonstration. He or she pointed out the exits, gave instructions on how to use a seatbelt, and talked about the oxygen masks. People tend to tune this out, especially if they are a seasoned traveler who has watched this demonstration many times.
Air New Zealand has created an airline safety video that everyone will happily pay attention to. The video shows a flight attendant who looks like a elf from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. She begins explaining the safety information to a group of passengers who include Hobbits, Elves, Wizards, a Ranger, and even Gollum himself. Filling out the remaining seats are passengers whose journey did not originate in Middle-earth.
Several characters in the video explain different parts of the safety information. Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey makes a cameo appearance in the safety video. He finds a ring on the floor in front of his seat. “My Precious”, he says, before putting on the ring and disappearing.
According to Air New Zealand marketing manager Mike Tod, the video was part of a major global promotion for the movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. He said:
“We will invest several million dollars in Australia, Asia, the United States and Europe on uniquely Air New Zealand marketing efforts related to ‘The Hobbit’ movies to attract more tourists to New Zealand.”
We all like to get prizes, especially if we don’t have to do much. That is the concept behind 
Flash drives are ten-a-penny these days but these 
Admittedly I’m coming in late to the party. I had all sorts of excuses – I already have a MacBook Pro, as well as the latest generation of iPod Touch. Why would I need an iPod with a giant screen to run mostly the same apps I can already run on my iPod?
The 3D gimmick has been periodically making the rounds for many years. How many people are aware that the first presentation of 3D films before a paying audience took place 96 years ago? According to an article at www.3dgear.com, it took place at the Astor Theater, New York, on June 10, 1915. The program consisted of three one-reelers, the first of rural scenes in the USA, the second a selection of scenes from Famous Players’ Jim, the Penman (US ’15), with John Mason and Marie Doro, and the third a travelogue of Niagara Falls. They used 3D glasses with red and green lenses.
One of the classic methods of marketing centers around the idea of bundling; i.e. getting people to pay for lower-quality merchandise by pushing sheer quantity over quality. This strategy isn’t always successful, but when it works it can work brilliantly.
Adam Curry is a clever guy. Back in 2004 he was working on the concept of podcasting. Now he is pioneering smartphone apps.
