Plane Hijacking as a premium tool of Communication

And so, as if the mummies have now all woken up, Seif al-Din Mustafa, an Egyptian national hijacked a domestic EgyptAir flight en route Cairo from Alexandria last Tuesday. He then asked that the plane diverts to Larnaca, Cyprus.

Why would a man want to hijack a plane, threaten people and put several lives in jeopardy? Why would he want to disrupt air traffic, civility, tranquility and world attention? A hijacker brings about tension, anxiety and agony, even to those not directly involved. Passengers with their friends, families and associates are agonized. And airport staff, crew, viewers of the drama, and indeed, the rest of the world with them.

It is instant news, millions of people are on it as it breaks, and everyone gets focused on the situation, and more so, on the main character, the hijacker, as he relishes his 5 minutes of fame (sometimes more). And like a plot, he systematically, gradually and deliberately sets the stage for his communication.

What is happening to the passengers, where is the plane now, what are the Security forces doing? All of these create a buzz, in which the principal actor revels, all attention on him. There’s a build-up, the hype, and ultimate delivery of his position, his demands, his message. A word from him reverberates across the world.

What does the hijacker want (to say)? Whatever he wants (almost always going to be a man or men), he must communicate it; he must make it known. Terrorism related or not, hijackers always have a message, key messages, demand or expectation directed at their target, just as you have in an ideal communication campaign.

And what the hijacker wants is simple: he has a message and he needs to communicate it. And he’s turned all time belts to prime time. There will be an audience whenever, and wherever he chooses to speak.

Even as their communication can go from the mundane to the ridiculous, one thing is clear, they always get heard. Whether the purpose is legit or not, or gets ultimately realized, is another matter entirely. But they do get heard, on prime time, with the world’s attention on them. Opportunity-to-see (or hear) is very high.

This whole episode was however a waste of premium global attention as Mr. Mustafa had only asked to speak with his ex-wife who was later brought to the airport by the Security forces. He was reported to have made further incoherent demands. And to crown it, the ex-wife didn’t even “want to have anything to do with him”.

Prankly speaking, if this was to be a Communication Campaign, the client would be very justified to seek a refund, cancel a retainer, or seek redress in court, more because so much was invested to say so little. A celebrated campaign for a telecoms brand is also associated with same qualities.

As infamous as hijacking remains, it always seizes attention beyond its intended public, and unfortunately so.

This piece is not in celebration of hijacking but an analysis on how not to invest so much resources and achieve so little result. there must be ample ROI.