DALLAS, May 01, 2008 - Armed with new research and a new advertising agency, Flexjet hones its communications strategy to demystify fractional jet ownership for today’s “discerning affluents”. Challenging the stereotypical perceptions of private jet ownership as a frivolous extravagance of the wealthy, Flexjet, the fractional business jet ownership program of Bombardier Aerospace, is veering from the standard course of industry marketing and launching a new multi-million dollar advertising campaign identifying private jets as tools that enhance productivity and quality of life, not just glamorous toys for the wealthy. The new campaign, which launches May 1, 2008, is the first from Flexjet’s new advertising agency, Team One, a division of Saatchi & Saatchi. It speaks directly to discerning affluents—leaders and entrepreneurs with a strong work ethic and values rooted in the middle class.  Discerning affluents appreciate good value, quality, authenticity, flexibility and productivity. Gone are the perfunctory category images of opulent settings, privileged jet-setters, blue skies and sunsets. In its place are incisive graphic images with copy that speaks candidly about private jet travel and leverages Flexjet’s unique aviation expertise with “straight talk from plane people.”

“Over the past twelve months, we conducted a series of in-depth studies of our target audience,” said Sylvain Levesque, Vice President, Marketing and Administration, Bombardier Flexjet.  “And the research confirmed what we’ve known instinctively all along: for the majority of our customers, private jet travel isn’t a glamorous perk, it’s an essential tool. It’s an investment in productivity and their most valuable asset: time.”

“This drove us to hone our messaging and gave us permission, if you will, to speak authentically about our unique offerings in the category,” added Levesque, “including our aviation expertise, our exceptional level of service and our high-efficiency achievements.”

According to new research*, almost 80 percent of today’s wealthy population grew up in middle class or lower income homes—bringing with them middle class values. In addition, nearly 70 percent of high net worth individuals have had their money less than 15 years. And the old stereotypes no longer apply. In contrast to previous generations, they did not inherit their wealth. They are independent thinkers who desire the best and look for quality and authenticity that demonstrates discernment versus overt status. They appreciate real and meaningful differences in the products and services they seek.

Throughout the new advertising campaign, Flexjet will highlight efficiency and its aviation experience and expertise among its primary benefits, including consistently maintaining one of the youngest fleets in the fractional jet industry, with an average fleet age of 3.4 years. Every aircraft in Flexjet’s legendary fleet of Bombardier business jets—Learjet 40 XR, Learjet 45 XR, Learjet 60 XR, Challenger 300 and Challenger 605—is operated solely by Flexjet.

By virtue of its Bombardier lineage, Flexjet offers a century of aviation experience with ancestry reaching back to Short Brothers Plc, the first company to produce aircraft for the Wright brothers in 1909. The company’s operations recently recorded its best year ever in everything from on-time performance, to flights considered “flawless,” and earned the prestigious FAA Diamond Award in 2007, the highest honor for maintenance training, for the ninth straight year.

The new ad campaign is slated to run in print and online media, including Forbes, Departures, Helium Report and Barron’s.

Source: Bombardier
For further information about Bombardier, click here