How does one brand a plane, literally speaking?
It takes two specially-trained engineers, 1,300 sq ft of a vinyl from 3M called A7322 and 22 hours of physical effort. At least it was so in the case of Disney Channel India, which partnered with Jet Airways to run a contest called “Jet Set Go” earlier this summer.
Mr Mark Macdonald and Mr Terry Palmer, the two engineers from Avion Graphics who ‘wrapped’ the aircraft, say they actually produce the design in consultation with the client, prepare the material and stick it on with the help of the airline’s crew. The Burbank, California-based company specialises in aircraft interior and exterior graphics and transportation fleet graphics.
3M’s Web site describes the A7322 as a promotional, perforated, cast film with a removable, grey pigmented, pressure-sensitive adhesive suitable for screen printing. It is specifically designed for use on aircraft exteriors and is a short-term film for promotional graphics.
Mr Macdonald says the material is made to last for five years and have “total brilliance”. With 12 years of experience at this task, Mr Macdonald says he has lost count of how many planes he has branded. The designed material comes in separate panels, and once it’s stuck on, it has to set for 24-48 hours before the plane can fly again.
Mr Manish Dureja, Vice-President (Marketing), Jet Airways (India), says that an art studio works on the graphics, after which it’s printed on the vinyl. Jet is negotiating with seven more companies for aircraft branding.
“There are 45 different ways to increase revenue for an airline,” he says. As there’s little flexibility in increasing air fares, Jet has identified lending its training facilities, buy-on-board (food and non-food items) and branding on boarding passes as some of them.
In January, Jet partnered Nokia in a similar venture when it launched the Lumia 800. Apart from the Lumia colours, the plane carried the names of the Nokia employees who worked on this marketing initiative.
Imagiably, this is a substantial means of revenue for the airline. Mr Dureja says it costs Rs 40 lakh to rent the exterior of the aircraft for a month. Besides that, it costs about Rs 20-22 lakh to produce the material. There is some cost for the airline as well in terms of ground time and logistics.
Mr Vijay Subramanian, Executive Director, Disney Kids Network, Disney UTV, won’t say how much the entire exercise cost. “Every investment is incidental to the smiles of the children and their families,” he says. This is not the first time a Disney company has branded a plane; it has been done in the US and in Japan. The “Jet Set Go” contest involved contestants giving a missed call to a mobile number that flashed on the screen.
A winner was declared everyday. The prize for the 37 winners was a trip to Disneyland Hong Kong with parents and siblings. The plane, bearing pictures of Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto, was unveiled to much excitement last week at Mumbai in the presence of the winners and their families. It will fly to various cities in India for a month.
The contest registered as many as 6 million missed calls in a little over a month. Winners came from cities big and small including Bareilly, Bhubaneswar, Chandrapur, Hissar, Patna, Ratnagiri, Rohtak and Surat.
sra@thehindu.co.in