Emirates engages employees through self-composed music video

In these trying times for the airline industry, anything that brings the employees closer together and builds authenticity in the brand is more than welcome. Emirates Airlines has recently done a fabulous job of achieving these aims. A video by Emirates employees, featuring themselves, has hit the internet recently. Entitled “Make Someone’s Day”, Emirates’ employees are singing, playing instruments from around the world and just seem to be enjoying themselves. It’s nice to see that an airline still does stuff like this that isn’t a necessity contributing towards the bottom line. And it should do good for the brand too.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching the video below (couldn’t find one with a better quality).

Bringing authenticity into the brand

Nothing’s more authentic about a brand than the collective voice of the people behind it. As I mentioned in my recent webinar on airline branding, involving the employees adds personality the previously faceless company. In this video, all employees are embracing the creed of making someone’s day – something very simple, and something that resonates with the masses.

Moreover, the video showcases how international the Emirates brand is. The song itself is sung in English and Hindi, and has a variety of musical styles from around the world. What better way to showcase the cosmopolitan nature of an airline which has employees from almost 100 countries!

Giving employees a stake in the game

Having employees leading the creation of this music video must have been a definite morale booster. They got to sing the Emirates’ creed, which is probably created by the employees too. And as so many of them have come together to create it, it must have brought them closer together too. And such ways of employee engagement are a necessity in these difficult times.

Happy Employees = Happy customers

Employees are the most important touchpoints of an airline brand. And when they’re exuding cheerfulness and warmth, it rubs off on the customers too. Just recall the last time you dealt with a happy airline crew – didn’t it make your day? It certainly made my day on a United Airlines flight from Boston to Chicago last year. Keeping employees happy has been a strategic decision at a number of successful airlines, including Southwest Airlines. And now, Emirates looks set to join the bandwagon.

What do you think will be the impact of this video by Emirates? Does anyone know if this was an employee initiative or pushed by HR or Marketing? Do you know examples of other airlines with similar initiatives? Let’s hear it in the comments section!

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