benchmark report
airline marketing
Emirates aviation experience
Delta ‘test your ping pong skills’
Emirates is taking its marketing efforts in the UK to another level by opening an indoor aviation themed attraction in London this month. The newest public attraction for the capital, the ‘Emirates Aviation Experience’, will be the first of its kind globally.
The centre will target people of all ages and will open to the public in time for the city’s peak tourism period this July. One year on from the launch of the Emirates AirLine, the ‘Emirates Aviation Experience’ is expected to fur ther stimulate tourism and development in the area.
The new tourist experience, located at the South side of the already operational Emirates ‘Air Line’ cable car in London, will cover an area of just under 300 sqm and will provide an insight into the operations and modern achievements of commercial air travel. The centre will also host the world’s first public commercial flight simulators including two Airbus 380s and two Boeing 777s, utilising full landscape visuals, allowing participants to practice their take-off and landing skills.
Emirates has a strong affiliation with this area of London following the launch of the Emirates AirLine, London’s popular cable car system across the River Thames, in a 10 year sponsorship deal announced in June 2012. Emirates’ association with the UK runs deep. It also sponsors London’s Arsenal football club, and has recently been announced as one of the top 10 UK airline websites to be visited.
Taking a cue from the likes of Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad, which all have invested heavily in sponsorships of major spor ts such as soccer and basketball to create brand recognition among the general public, Delta has teamed with major baseball league teams in the USA and earlier this year opened a Sky360 lounge inside Stamford Bridge stadium, home of British Premier League soccer team Chelsea FC as par t of a wider sponsorship agreement. In a fun gesture to passengers leaving from London Heathrow Airpor t on June 18, Delta surprised travellers flying out of the airpor t’s Terminal 4 by offering them the chance to test their table tennis skills against none other than defending Wimbledon Champion Serena Williams, who had just arrived from JFK on an
overnight Delta Air Lines flight on her way to the 2013 edition of the tournament. Video here. With the surprise appearance of the current number 1 of woman tennis, Delta aimed to showcase its renewed long-haul Business Class product with fully flat beds and new Westin Heavenly Bedding. Says Tim Mapes, Delta’s SVP for Marketing, “We’ve gone flat-out to give customers a great night’s sleep on board our flights into London, and Serena’s form today shows that Delta’s BusinessElite flat-bed seats ensure customers arrive rested for a day’s work or play.”
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