Jetstar launches Australian-first ambient medium Maria Nguyen
Buses and trains have for years been deriving additional revenue from onboard advertising, and now airlines may finally be catching up as Qantas’ low-cost carrier Jetstar becomes the first Australian airline to turn its overhead lockers into prime advertising space.
Nivea is the first client to sign on with a campaign through Whybin TBWA and OMD to promote its Sun Spray product.
The creative will be seen on 144 overhead locker panels on 11 Jetstar planes. Each plane will carry between 12 and 14 panels and reach more than 700,000 leisure passengers from now until the end of January.
Passengers will be exposed to Nivea’s message for about 90 minutes—the average length of the airline’s flights.
According to Jetstar’s Simon Westaway, the Nivea Sun Spray campaign is a timely fit for the budget carrier as a large percentage of its operations service the Queensland market, a popular summer destination.
“60% of Jetstar’s flights are in and out of Queensland so it’s a key market for us as this time of the year and the Nivea summer Sun Spray campaign fits in very well with that,” Westaway said.
Westaway believes airlines haven’t embraced onboard advertising the way buses and trains have because “aircrafts have usually been seen as sacrosanct”.
“The branding and image is a huge deal for airlines and their marketing budgets are significant so the general view was not to do it,” he added. “But at Jetstar, we’re tying to be innovative and we want to strategically use this medium to obtain extra revenue without creating too much clutter for passengers and being too in your face.”
Jetstar has been ramping up its ambient media activity this year to supplement revenue from its low-cost ticket sales.
In April it launched its first tray table campaign with Avis and Budget car rentals and in September and October Jetstar cabin crew distributed 450,000 Smint mints to onboard passengers.
Next week the airline will launch boarding card advertising for Kodak and for Avis and Budget rentals in January.
Jetstar Media (ACP Magazines) said branding on the overhead lockers and tray tables would be restricted to one client per plane.
Jetstar Media national advertising manager Grytt Young said developing ambient media initiatives was “one way for us to reinvest in keeping airfares low”.
He said it would give advertisers access to a pool of half a million passengers who fly Jetstar each month, and more eyeballs once Jetstar begins flying international routes in 2007.
“80% of passengers are leisure travellers who don’t have as many distractions as business travellers so this is a great way to reach a mass market that’s relaxed and more able to take in your messages” Young said.
“Jetstar has expanded into New Zealand, which opens up further opportunities and the airline has also just announced by mid-2007 it will be flying international routes so there will opportunities to reach an even bigger market.”
Young added he was currently in discussions with other advertisers keen to brand the carrier’s overhead lockers.
