Aviation marketing

National and international

Effective marketing for the aviation industry born out of proven success

BFT International is the only full service branding, marketing and communication agency in the United States and Western Europe (maybe the world) with a specialty in Aviation Marketing. We firmly believe, though, that this should not be to the exclusion of all else…otherwise we cannot provide a fully rounded service to our aviation clients.

We cover legacy airlines; discount airlines; independent airlines; regional, national hub and international airports; aviation and airport suppliers and dealerships; aircraft manufacturers, FBOs and MROs.

Aviation client partners—current and major experience

It is fundamental that your marketing partner has a solid understanding of the entire marketplace, not just the business of aviation. When enticing the public—either in the context of B-to-B or B-to-C—to use the services of a particular organization or product it is very necessary to understand the target audience’s rationale when making decisions regarding all their disposable income, not just the portion of it that applies to the aviation marketplace.

In today’s highly competitive and volatile aviation arena your marketing department’s principal focus must be on promoting your company’s attributes to potential clients—regardless of their size. BFT International Aviation Marketing provides a range of coordinated services that will complement your efforts, allowing you to focus on client cultivation and business development while presenting a professional and competitive stance. Our aviation marketing services include:

The full list of marketing and promotional services that BFT can bring to bear on specific aviation industry problems may be viewed in the other sections of this website.

To assist the needs of smaller aviation organizations all our charges are designed to be highly flexible:

• Fixed management charge or hourly flat rate billing.
• Precise estimates in advance—no last minute invoice surprises.
• Ad-hoc or long term remuneration planning.

We urge you not to waste valuable time working with marketing companies that have no aviation marketing experience. You need a team that speaks your language and thoroughly understands the business of flying. BFT Aviation Marketing has the in-depth experience and the proven skills to help you succeed. Please talk to us first and allow us to demonstrate our successful methods.

The advantages of working with a group of seasoned professionals that know your business (literally) from the ground up are twofold. Firstly, as an obvious benefit, we start from day one with no need for a costly learning curve. Secondly, less obvious is that, as a full service, metropolitan advertising and marketing agency, we bring to bear the wider knowledge of the entire commercial marketplace—a key benefit when enticing your clients to allocate their disposable income. This second aspect is one which most smaller aviation businesses usually cannot afford.

Specialist aviation industry market assessment

BFT International Aviation Marketing offers a unique and highly personalized service to help you assess your current marketing efforts and develop a progressive plan for moving your company forward. During the course of a two-day visit we examine all aspects of your market and provide a comprehensive overview, providing recommendations that can be quickly implemented. We recognize that not all aviation organizations are alike, so we help you focus on elements of your business that will progress your particular requirements. This is a great way to reposition your marketing by receiving a different and fresh perspective on ways to build your image with passengers, airlines and corporate clients.

The overall aviation marketplace is mature and extremely fragmented. Whether you are an established airline, a niche charter carrier, an airport, an FBO or a vendor provider within the industry, your services are interlinked with all others. Airlines obviously need airports and vice versa, but airports also need FBOs—often utilizing them to provide part of the full service that the airport offers. It is the symbiotic nature of the business that makes the whole thing work. BFT’s innate understanding and empathy for the business of aviation provides our clients with a marketing partner that has a real feel for their business, and a team with national and international experience of every facet of the marketing and promotion process.

Air service and charter carrier development

Attracting and growing air service, be it mainline, regional or charter, is a significant challenge in today’s economic environment. BFT’s approach to aviation marketing is very focused on the truly dynamic nature of your operation. We look forward, not backward, with regard to crafting development strategies. Simply put, in making the pitch to a potential air service partner, most air service development projects focus on what has happened (not what could happen). Only current and projected air service by the carriers count—not what they’ve done in the past.

Developing air service in many communities has become a growing priority. Airports deploy various techniques, but most fail. And failure invariably means the inability to return to a carrier with further propositions.

You want results, not just ‘air service studies’. BFT’s marketing expertise and experience is significantly broader than the most airports’ requirements. We bring to the table real knowledge of the problems and successes that similar airports and vendors are experiencing. Our hands-on experience covers both the daily operation of mainline and regional service and the domestic and international ‘niche’ charter market. By working very closely with airports, our background knowledge enables us to seamlessly follow-through to the promotion of services to the flying public.

The key benefits BFT International will bring to your aviation business

Strategic overview There is a tendency in the aviation business for individual organization’s marketing to be much more tactical than strategic. We take a step back to establish the key marketing message before implementing any promotional activity.

Creative thinking It’s all about vision. The vision to (literally) see over the horizon. To have the experience to see the big picture. To make a realistic assessment of what action is likely to result from competitors following your marketing decisions. Creative thinking can then progress into creative action—action that achieves results.

Relevant Creativity without relevance is shouting into the wind. Similarly, relevance without creativity produces wallpaper. Balance is key. And knowing how the scales tip is the answer—the right market positioning married to the right communication.

Economy We are fanatic about budget control. We never go over budget and everything we implement is agreed in writing in advance—no hidden surprises.

24/7 Because we work across time zones our teams do not just keep to standard US office hours, but make ourselves available whenever needed.

Our objective is to position your facility for the best possible course to success—be it passenger service or as an industry vendor.

Avoiding the learning curve

Businesses do not have the luxury of a time-consuming and expensive delay waiting for their marketing agency to ‘get up to speed’ with the subtleties of their specific industry. That can never be truer than in the field of aviation marketing. BFT International’s 30 plus years experience of air transportation has provided unique insight.

• We know how airports ‘work’.
• We understand how they must interact with air carriers.
• We appreciate the demands air carriers make.
• We are conversant with existing and potential passengers’ perceptions about flying in general and how that relates to airport choice.
• We have observed the marketing responses implemented by competing airports in a region.
• We have witnessed passengers’ subsequent responses and how that affects leakage.
• We have worked through the constraints forced upon airlines, airports and passengers over recent years and comprehend how that affects both marketing planning and content.
• We are able to advise on the most effective use of marketing funds—knowing that not all areas of need can be addressed.
• We are familiar with the way General Aviation and FBOs are reacting to current market conditions and how this sector is also having to compete for market share.
• We have even partnered our aviation industry clients in niche markets—Light Sport Aircraft, aircraft manufacture, aircraft refurbishment, aircraft dismantling, and flight training.

We embrace your marketplace.