Only French TV Network Canal+ Knows If This Airliner Will Survive

Air travel’s going to the dogs all over the place these days.

First, Bark Air pounded home its canine+ message with cuddly pups on a plane. Now, French TV network Canal+ sends up flicks about flights in peril to hype its support for the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

In a four-minute spot, the pilots lose consciousness and a flight attendant struggles to steer the plane.

You know what could really save the day? Some dude in the tower mansplaining endlessness, droning on and on and on, never pausing his motivational pablum, filling the space like I’m doing now with a veritable jet-stream of words, a reverse example of the brevity viewers will enjoy at the short film fest.

As for the fate of the airliner, well…

Sorry, my man. No pension for you.

BETC Paris and director Dario Fau developed the spot, which broke last week across Canal+ platforms and online.

“For decades, we have been captivated by action movies starring larger-than-life heroes such as Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford or Tom Cruise. And these actors—always playing good guys in movies—got us used to witty monologues full of heart but often way too long,” the agency explains in campaign materials.

“These have become memeifed to the point that we now expect to hear them in those types of movies and no longer question them as viewers. However, when you think about it, these interactions are rarely essential to the plot. And they often occur at odd moments, right in the middle of the heightened tension.”

“Who has never felt impatient listening to a hero’s monologue while watching an action flick?” The agency says. “Who’s never uttered under their breath ‘Come on, just kill him already!’ Sometimes, shorter is better.”

Communicating that notion in a longish clip feels smartly counterintuitive. The extra time’s well spent and the brand proposition totally lands—though the same can’t be said for the plane.