An Ad-Supported Model For Everything Or The Real Cost Of Free

At the airline industry struggles to remain in the air, many carriers have begun charging for services that used to be included in the price of the ticket. Everything from checked baggage to meals and entertainment have become added fees for passengers on all types of flights. And while this is quickly becoming an accepted way of doing business, albeit an unpopular one, Horizon Air, operated by Alaska Airlines, is trying a different approach.

The carrier has partnered with marketing firm, Air Advertainment, to distribute “free”, branded snack boxes on its flights. The effort takes the ad-supported model that has been a successful means of delivering content on the web and repackages it for an offline demographic. A rather smart move considering that the target audience is both a) captive and b) likely very hungry.

Under the program’s guidelines, brands will be able to determine what foods go into every box, along with a certain level of company messaging – a recent campaign directed consumers to sign-up on a company website for additional discounts or limited-time offers. In addition, flight attendants are instructed to make special announcement to passengers, reminding them just who their particular brand benefactor is on each trip.

And once more airlines begin offering the option of in-seat entertainment and WiFi connections, it will open even more opportunities to expand on the model, talking to potential customers in even more tailored ways.

Air Advertainment

[via AdvertisingAge]