Delta Uniform Safety Video by Delta

Delta Uniform Safety Video by Delta

Delta recently launched a new uniform for its 60,000+ staff. The uniforms had been in development since late 2015, when acclaimed US fashion designer Zac Posen was chosen to drive the project forward.

Zac Posen is a big name in the world of fashion. His designs have been worn by some of the world’s most influential women, including Uma Thurman, Michelle Obama and Gwyneth Paltrow among others.

Meanwhile fashion retailer Lands End was chosen to produce the uniforms. As a result, the uniforms immediately had two big and very PR-able names, attached.

When it came to the development, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Posen’s team “attended 80 employee focus groups and made more than 150 changes to the uniforms based on feedback.

“The outfits include nods to travel—a collar on a women’s blouse collar was inspired by an airplane wing—while other pieces include such thoughtful details as passport and pen pockets.”

One of the biggest changes however, was a move from traditional red to so-called ‘passport plum.’

The designs were unveiled in October 2016, after which they went into production, with employees receiving their new uniforms in late May 2018.

The official launch activity is noteworthy for two pieces of activity. A round the world tour of the uniforms. And a new safety video, showing them off.

The uniform tour involved stops in Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Shanghai, Amsterdam and Paris - among others - before finishing in Honolulu. With Zac Posen being a fashion designer to the stars, the tour itself included “an old Hollywood styled celebration” in LA.

In the safety video, cabin crew members wear a series of Delta uniforms from the 1940s, to the new “passport plum’ uniform of today designed by Zac Posen.

The crew members are from the US, but also different countries such as Australia and Japan. Each then shows a different safety video wearing a different uniform from the past.

For example, one crew member wearing a 1969-1970 uniform talks about smoking not being permitted, while the instructions about life vests are given by another wearing a brown suit of 1979- 1982 vintage.

Meanwhile both the introduction and thank you at the end are done by two crew members in the new 2018 uniform.

TAP Portugal - The Journey Since 1945

TAP Portugal had a very similar idea for its 2017 safety video celebrating the history of the airline. In the video, cabin crew ran through the safety demonstration while wearing different uniforms from 1945 to the present day.

However, the treatment is different to Delta’s. The Delta safety has a modern feel (despite the historical uniforms), with the background soundtrack being the upbeat electronic track “Unbroken” by Roary. It also features an A350, which is of course a new addition to the Delta fleet.

The TAP Portugal video in contrast features the Austin Powers-esque “Chelsea Girl”, and wasn’t produced to show off new uniforms but instead was part of a wider campaign to highlight the airline’s history, which also includes a “retro-jet” - an A330-300 jet kitted out in 1970s retro livery.

Everything on the flight has a 1970s theme from the type of food served to the in-flight entertainment. Coca Cola and Portuguese beer brand, Sagres, collaborated with the airline in having their drinks served with “retro branding.”

The latest 2018 TAP Portugal safety video has moved away from the retro theme. Called “a country where the sun chose to live” it was produced with Visit Portugal. The video shows foreign tourists in Portugal, explaining the safety features in front of iconic Portuguese locations.

However, the TAP retro-jet itself is still flying. You can see the videos on Facebook!

Key Take-Away

Lots of airlines have uniform redesigns, and we’ve covered them in the past. However, what is so impressive about Delta is how they told the story, and the depth which they went into to do so.

On the Delta newsroom there is a whole list of stories, features and videos from 2015, when Zac Posen was appointed, right up to the recent uniform launch.

This includes details of the global tour, a series of ‘50 days and 50 facts’ infographics, an article on colour pantones and Delta’s “passport plum” colour, and of course the new safety video.

Delta really thought about how they could make this announcement as big as possible, and came up with a whole range of content ideas and marketing tactics to support it.

Actually as an aside, Delta’s online newsroom (or News Hub) is one of the best we have seen. This is due to the sheer number of articles looking at different angles of each news story, and the variety of images and videos available.

It is also very user-friendly in the way it is categorised. We look at a lot of online newsrooms, and Delta’s is very much best practice. Not only for an airline, but any brand.