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Let Nyan Cat teach you about airplane safety

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Internet memes are rarely seen as high culture. Indeed, they're rarely seen as even legitimate forms of entertainment, instead being little more than placeholders used by Facebook trolls with no original thoughts and little inclination to develop them. They are, however, undeniably popular, so much so that meme stars such as the (now sadly departed) keyboard cat and “Chocolate Rain” singer Tay Zonday have become legitimate celebrities. Some might say it's a sad reflection of our times, but I can see the funny side of it all, and so, clearly, do Delta Air Lines, who have used some of the Internet's biggest stars in their latest safety video, which will be shown to all Delta passengers in place of the generic “Emergency exits here and here” rigmarole from next week (May 25).

The latest safety video from Delta Airlines is an uncompromising mash-up of some of the Internet’s most beloved memes

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An uncompromising mash-up of some of the Internet’s most beloved memes, the video (below) brings together stars like the aforementioned Keyboard Cat, Dramatic Chipmunk, and that heroic Screaming Goat who actually managed to make a Taylor Swift song listenable! Charlie is still biting his brother’s finger, the Evolution of Dance evolves, Annoying Orange is (shockingly) still annoying and Overly Attached Girlfriend has her eye on someone new and the Will It Blend guy continues his noble quest to answer the same age-old question. Combined, the Internet personalities featured in the video have gathered almost 2 billion views on the videos that made them famous. A lot for the video to live up to you might think, but it's already gathered over 20,000 views, and has been up for less than a day at the time of writing.

Delta – The Internetest Safety Video on the Internet

Mauricio Parise, Delta’s director of worldwide marketing communication, said: “We had a ton of fun with this one, and we think our customers will, too. Internet fame is fleeting, but our commitment to the safety of our customers and crew is not. These memes and cameos tap into the zeitgeist as the latest way of capturing our customers’ attention for our important safety presentation.” Stephanie Davis, industry director for travel at Google, added: “Delta's meme-tastic new safety video is not only a fitting homage to YouTube as we celebrate its 10th birthday this month. It's also a winning example of how to reach, engage and entertain customers around the world with great video content.”

The video was created by Matt Aselton from Arts & Sciences, with creative work from Wieden + Kennedy New York

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The video was created by Matt Aselton from Arts & Sciences, with creative work from Wieden + Kennedy New York, the company's agency of record. Music and sound, meanwhile, was handled by Cary Melious at Heard City and Black Iris. Arts & Sciences also created the company's previous safety video, which was themed around the very first Delta safety film from the 1980's. The “80's Safety Video” (below) was from the same creative team as the new film, and was similarly tongue-in-cheek. It would appear that Delta really know how to poke fun at themselves. Could you ever imagine EasyJet or RyanAir putting together something this bold?

Delta – 80's Safety Video

This isn't the first time that Delta has used pop culture to grab public attention of course. The company launched a series of safety videos in late 2012 meant to grab the attention of even the most seasoned travellers by using pop culture references, surprises and guest appearances to communicate important safety messages.

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Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK.

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