A lot of us at Aveus have been spending a lot of our time on airplanes. Since we often fly out of and into the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, we log many of our flight hours on Delta planes.

Yesterday a ruckus broke out when Linda and I found that we shared a common frustration about the Delta safety video - specifically the wagging finger of shame. Take a look for yourself. Watch for the finger at the 1:52 mark.

The video begins pleasantly enough, but by the time we get to the wagging finger it begins to smack of condescension. The tone is a little tough to take; the presentation almost creepy.

The ruckus: Is it intended to be humorous? Does she intend to whip us into attention? What does it say about what Delta thinks of its customers?

Linda recalled one of the flight attendants on her frequent Newark to Minneapolis flights who had a wonderful deadpan humor. In her live recitation of the safety presentation, she'd say in a matter of fact voice, "If we do find you tampering with a smoke detector you may be asked to step outside." It always got a chuckle from those paying attention.

And talk about paying attention.  A Southwest announcement began with “For those of you who haven’t been in an automobile since 1965, this is how a seat belt works.”  We actually listened to the entire safety reminder.  And, isn’t that the whole point?

Compare the Delta safety video to the cheeky Air New Zealand video Linda wrote about on her Customer Experience for Profit blog. Go take a look, there's even a wagging finger at 2:11 and yet it doesn't feel chastising or condescending. Linda dares us not to smile watching it – and I bet you will too.

What struck us is how these two videos aptly demonstrate the difference in operating strategies between these two airlines.

As customers we experience an organization’s operating strategy in everything from its safety videos to how it design the company website. Look at Air New Zealand where visitors are greeted by a photo of flight attendants having fun, and Delta's site that greets you with a giant suitcase.

Even taglines are telling. Air New Zealand: "Personality allowed," which represents its customer-centric approach. Delta: "One great airline," which is more about their recent merger with Northwest than it is about customers.

Do you have an equivalent wagging finger of shame causing a ruckus for your customers?

About the author:

Nancy Norman is known for her ability to look at the same old problem and develop a new insight or approach to creatively solve it. Learn more about Nancy