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.