Beechcraft Aircraft
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About Beechcraft:
Beechcraft is the most respected, innovative aircraft brand in the world. The original founders and inventors of Beechcraft, Mr. And Mrs. Walter Beech, are icons in their industry and represent 75 years of aircraft innovation. As such, the Beech brand has an incredible worldwide cult following. Beechcraft users, who posess the undeniable passion to fly, predominately use their craft for pleasure with limited business applications. The Beechcraft line includes Bonanza, Baron, King Air, and Premier I.
Beechcraft are typically the most sought after, most expensive, rigorously engineered and luxurious aircraft in any of its class - single prop, turbine prop and jet. With a complete understanding of the flying experience, Beech is made for those in the back seats (passengers), as much in the front "left-seat" (pilots). With a reputation for the most luxurious cabins, its aircraft are loaded with exclusive amenities in addition to substantial head and leg room enabling occupants to relax or conduct business.
Issue:
After Raytheon purchased this business, it promptly removed the Beechcraft brand from all advertising and promotional materials - in essence, removing the brand promise made to its constituent base decades before. This created a whirlwind of issues for those dedicated customers and avid fans of these legends of the sky. It wasn't until recently, that Raytheon Aircraft Company decided to re-launch Beechcraft brand back into the forefront of customers' minds, a step taken to help ensure customers of the companies' worldwide commitment to quality, engineering, and service.
Creative Solution:
Winsper was hired to reinvigorate and contemporize the Beechcraft brand and re-launch it into the market place. After extensive qualitative research with industry influencers, trade organizations, pilots, owners, and current customers, the Agency uncovered a wealth of information.
"Everybody at Raytheon knew there was a reputation issue at stake. The division has been up for sale officially twice in the past five years, the service and support was less than adequate, and a poor job of marketing combined for a recipe for doubt in the consumer's minds," comments Jeff Winsper, president of Winsper. "In addition, the research uncovered the consumer's concern with the company's recent lack of innovation, an important hallmark value of the 'old' Beech management. But what customers wanted to do was believe again. They are so connected to the past brand that this gave us the opportunity to re-kindle their hopes into reality."
The creative message needed to walk the fine line between tomorrow's future and the tradition of the past. Using Walter Beech of his early years symbolically helped reestablish the comfort level required with re-engaging with the Beech customers. But too much dialogue about the past would have been "old news".
The agency leveraged the legacy of the Beech brand but used the Premier I, the most innovative, fastest single-pilot jet in the world, as the magnet to best represent that innovation is still very much a part of the Beechcraft culture and attitude. The campaign ad will appear in publications such as Flying Magazine, Business and Commercial Aviation, Professional Pilot and Aviation International News around the trade's most influential show, NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) on October 7th. The Agency elected to keep the same tagline, For Those Who Live To Fly.
This was also supported with a very targeted 1:1 relationship management campaign through direct mail targeting owners, and small business executives. The offer highlighted a limited time "ownership package" that included reduced annual maintenance fees, service and support.
| "We are proud to have been part of such a pivotal point in Beechcraft's history. They truly target very different audiences and this brand needed to reconnect with its distinct personality and promise. This effort is complimentary to our strategy of continuously expanding its client base that targets high-net worth, affluent consumers and business leaders," said Jeff Winsper, president. |