Experimental Marketing New Focus For Sales Growth

By Robbie Culver

REMOS aircraft announced a new Remos Pilot Center (RPC) program at EAA's AirVenture Oshkosh 2009. As part of an effort to "revitalize the FBO's and flight training industry,", REMOS is designing the program as part of an expanded North American marketing focus that will include "innovative experiential marketing" modeled after recent successes at automaker Audi. The new pilot centers are to include 20 up and running in 2009, and are directly related to the new marketing strategy that REMOS is taking. Kenneth Weaver, newly-appointed vice-president of marketing, announced the new strategies at a scheduled press conference.

Kenneth Weaver

According to REMOS CEO Corvin Huber, these pilot centers are to include a comprehensive training structure, flight training devices, partnerships with the Gleim brand of educational products, and partnerships with the Pilot Journey web site that connects potential flight students with flight schools. Benefits of the new program for the training center include name brand recognition, new customers, cost-effective training methods, more satisfied students, and potentially new sales of aircraft as a result.

Also announced was a "significant infusion of new capital" from Pall Mall Partner's of London, UK.  Huber stated this new funding "will allow us to continue and expand the programs that have propelled us to the top of the LSA market and progress into innovative marketing approaches." As "technology focused investors," Pall Mall Partners was involved with what some in the auto industry have coined as a rebirth at automaker Audi, involving re-branding the image of the product and attracting completely new customer bases.

Huber went on to state that the marketing techniques used at Audi will be applied to the aviation world with the stated objectives being to lead the LSA industry, define innovative "meta products" to surround the REMOS brand, and to target a market audience outside the typical aviation consumer environment. Huber added that he intends to create a world-class sales organization, that is market driven and constantly innovating. The REMOS focus will continue to be on emphasizing quality, safety, and service.

As a new area of focus, Huber explained that experiential marketing is intended as a method for aviation to "re-invent itself" and "stop marketing to ourselves." The ultimate goal is to "become relevant to the world outside aviation." Lofty goals, but REMOS seems to have positioned itself well in preparation for the effort.

Corvin Huber

To further this goal, REMOS intends to define the REMOS experience to include messages that define the spirit and opportunity the product line represents, with high appeal and desirability being the intended result. In other words, when a potential customer goes to try out a REMOS for the first time, the company intends to use savvy marketing techniques to ensure the experience is more than just the flight. To this end, REMOS is actually examining psychological objectives for each target group according to Huber.

In the end, REMOS aims to "fulfill promises by delivering individual experiences" and answer the questions of what is it that potential customers want, and how does REMOS get them involved in aviation? This includes innovative new concepts in the ownership of aircraft, labeled by REMOS as various "No Fear" options. This means creating a contemporary environment with a diverse peer group, an ongoing challenge for all of general aviation. The entire REMOS organization has defined business models to create these experiences, but even Huber admits "we simply don't know who our customers are" and adds that "neither does the competition."

REMOS believes that careful market research will establish new potential customer sources, and if their initial experience is managed carefully, and the product presented appropriately, REMOS can capture the customers business with a completely different strategy for the entire aviation experience.

FMI: www.remos.com