Air New Zealand's "Bare Essentials of Safety"

During this economic crisis, airlines are scrambling for funds, if not going out of business entirely. Air New Zealand has taken a new approach to attract customers, as well as making those customers watch the pre-flight safety videos. The 45 second "nothing to hide" advertisement shown on TV, as well as the almost Four minute "bare essentials" in flight safety video offer a twist on typical airline videos; all of the staff members are naked, except that they are painted as wearing uniforms!

At first glance, it just seems as if the flight stewards and stewardesses are wearing tight clothing, but the neckties and scarves that move when they talk are a dead giveaway. The ad and safety video are both filmed with tasteful modesty, and don't hold a flame to recent PETA ads (I can't even put a link here because they are too disgusting) in terms of mal-treatment of women, or men, for that matter. The actors are real flight stewards/stewardesses, and are as energetic as they come.

According to the New York Times, the advertisement is the most viewed YouTube clip to come out of New Zealand. Apparently "The commercial, 'Nothing to Hide,' has been viewed nearly two million times on YouTube— the most-viewed clip ever to come out of New Zealand, Steve Bayliss, the airline’s marketing manager, said by telephone Monday."

We all know that sex sells, and this measure at least gets more people to watch the safety videos, so do you see this campaign as problematic? It doesn't objectify women more than it objectifies men, and if anything there is more footage of male flight attendants, captains, and baggage carriers, than women flight attendants. It is also filmed in such a way that no genitals are shown, thus is it wrong to advertise in such a manner? Is the recent publicity via YouTube uncalled for?