Sport Aviation Marketing

cessna sitelet update

Back in November I wrote that the Cessna “43 Reasons” campaign was executed nicely but the concept was lacking. Unfortunately, Cessna created a PR nightmare that makes the campaign nearly tragic.

As Aero-News.net has been reporting, the FAA is imposing a fine on Cessna for their inability to ensure that 42 aircraft had been manufactured in accordance with the FAA-approved type design. Ouch.

Here is what I find surprising: The FAA issued an AD for 42 airplanes on March 5, 2005. Best I can tell, the “43 Reasons” campaign began running about six months later. Didn’t anyone think this would be a bad idea? With 43 reasons to buy, Cessna themselves provided 42 well-publicized reasons not to buy.

So, how to turn lemons into lemonade?

First, we all know the aviation community generally lacks admiration for the FAA. However, Cessna needs to give up their fight for lowering the fine and get the story out of the aviation press.

Second, Cessna should create a scholarship fund of equal value to be leveraged by Cessna Pilot Centers. This would result in as many as 500 potential pilots having their training costs covered up through their first solo. With 250 Cessna Pilot Centers, this would easily pay for its self in widespread local PR, and all positive! Plus, they’d be up to 44 reasons to buy a Cessna…

[tags]General Aviation, Aviation Marketing, Cessna, Sitelet, Online Marketing, Online PR[/tags]

Add comment February 18th, 2006

cirrus sitelet update

A while back I wrote a quick analysis of the Cirrus and Cessna sitelets. At that time, it had been over a year since I had flown commercially. Over the last two weeks I have had four commercial flights with another trip scheduled for next week. I like the “I am not that guy” concept even more today than I did back in November. Flying commercially is a nightmare. Put me on the list for an SR22.

With that said, the execution of the campaign is also more flawed than I originally thought. The opportunity exists to make a strong impact with the sitelet. The mountain scenery doesn’t resonate with me (I’m a flat-lander) and the engine noise makes the site feel more like one of the websites my 3-year old plays with rather than a sales tool for a $300,000 product.

While in Chicago last week I waited in line with hundreds of other travelers for a full 45 minutes. None of us were happy. A well-executed campaign could really resonate with those business travelers who experience the hassle on a regular basis and have the income to afford an airplane.

Cirrus should keep the ads but replace the sitelet. Designing a new site would be an insignificant cost in relation to running the print ads that are used to drive traffic.

[tags]General Aviation, Aviation Marketing, Cirrus, Sitelet, Online Marketing[/tags]

1 comment February 18th, 2006

general aviation marketability thesis

Last fall a Florida State University undergrad named Milota K. Srkal published a thesis titled The Marketability of New Rules and Technologies in General Aviation.

The author himself points out that the paper is lacking for several reasons, including a limited sample size. However, he also notes that no one has ever done a similar analysis. With that in mind, it is certainly worth a quick read if you are marketing an airplane.

Here are a couple of highlights:

1. As the respondents got older, they would not be willing to pay a premium for the Whole Airplane Recovery System and the availability of this technology in a new aircraft would not make a difference with their decision making process for a purchase. (page 51)

2. The more knowledge that pilots generally have about [Glass Cockpit] technologies, the more they feel that Glass Cockpits greatly increase the safety of an aircraft, and they would be willing to pay a premium to purchase this technology. (page 52)

So what to do with this information? Whether your plane has a parachute or not, you can leverage it as a benefit with specific age demographics. Also, don’t rely on avionics manufacturers to promote the features of their products. If you’re using them in your plane, educate your potential customers accordingly.

Thanks to Milota for doing the research. If you ever update it, please let us know!

[tags]General Aviation, Aviation Marketing, Online Marketing, Light Sport Aircraft, SLSA, Sport Pilot[/tags]

Add comment February 16th, 2006