How In-flight Safety Videos Can Inspire Bold Healthcare Ads

'The key isn’t avoiding the rules—it’s how you execute them'

This past holiday season, I found myself crammed into a plane for a family escape. But this time, something unexpected happened: I actually paid attention to the in-flight safety video.

There I was, watching a flight attendant explain the oxygen mask procedure while keeping my eyes glued to a silly ball rolling on a Rube Goldberg-like track behind her. Why can’t healthcare ads take a similar approach? These safety videos deliver essential information, yet they engage viewers by being fun, visually appealing, and even a bit cheeky. How can a vital flight safety procedure be made so memorable while healthcare ads often seem like a broken record—visually dull and devoid of humor?

In-flight safety videos maintain all necessary regulatory content in a way that makes us want to watch. Could healthcare advertising do the same? Let’s dive into this rabbit hole, exploring how in-flight safety videos engage their audience and what the healthcare sector can learn from them.

Humor: Who Says Healthcare Can’t Be Funny?

When was the last time a healthcare ad made you laugh? Don’t remember? That’s likely because healthcare ads usually avoid humor. I get it—medicine is serious business, and no one likes joking about illness, suffering, and death. Moreover, a brand’s personality plays a crucial role; not every brand can pull it off without it coming off as forced. 

But humor can make a message stick. Take Qatar Airways’ safety video with comedian Kevin Hart—it cracks people up and makes a crucial message memorable. Consider the familiar saying I’ve always found a little selfish and somewhat surprising: “Put on your oxygen mask before helping others.” This line is cleverly paired in the video: “You can’t help people if you can’t breathe.” Brilliant.

Healthcare can use similar strategies. Imagine an ad for something extremely unappealing, such as a non-hormonal contraceptive, where a woman invites you to her vagina, declaring, “In here, I make the rules!” Hats off to Phexxi and Annie Murphy from “Schitt’s Creek” for their witty “House Rules.”

The beauty of this approach is that you can still have a sense of humor without cutting corners on the critical details. Make people smile while ensuring they understand exactly how to use the oxygen mask—or, in the case of healthcare, exactly what that medication covers, how it works, and the side effects.

Storytelling: It’s Like a Netflix Series but for Healthcare

In-flight safety videos have evolved into compelling mini-stories that go beyond dry instructions. Whether it’s a superhero, a tourist’s guide to the destination, a journey through the history of air travel, a celebration of meme culture, a British celebrity audition, or great craft, they engage viewers by adding a narrative.

Imagine if healthcare ads embraced more storytelling, too. Instead of the usual “Here’s how to manage your diabetes” lecture, why not tell a fun, engaging story? Abbott’s “Now You Know” campaign nailed this, transforming healthcare from a lecture into an adventure.

Storytelling can make the information more engaging without losing its key components. It’s all about making your message feel less like a chore and more like a journey.

Craft Your Way Out of Rules

The International Civil Aviation Organization mandates that in-flight safety videos present essential safety features following global standards. Similarly, healthcare advertising must comply with the many FDA requirements, such as conveying equal information about a drug’s benefits and risks.

How do you inject creativity into content bound by a thousand rules? Focus on the craft of the content itself. Examples of safety videos that do that: Air France; Air New Zealand; British Airways; and Air India.

Healthcare ads have also pushed boundaries through craft. Look at campaigns like Narcan’s “Who is Your World?” or Imvexxy’s “Long May She Reign”—they break free from the norm with creative execution, though there’s so much potential to leverage even more of it.

Let’s Get Creative with Healthcare Advertising

In-flight safety videos prove that even bland and highly regulated information can be presented with flair. Healthcare ads can do the same by embracing humor, storytelling, and craft. The key isn’t avoiding the rules—it’s how you execute them. So, let’s start making healthcare ads that are as creative and impactful as those in-flight safety videos we secretly love to watch.