With the summer travel season just weeks away, advertisers aiming to reach airline passengers are trying a new product: tray tables that are transformed into mini-billboards.
   To find out how to launch your client’s message into the skies, read on.
   This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

What
   Ads printed on airplane tray tables.

Who
   SkyMedia International, headquartered in Las Vegas.

How it works
   Ads are printed on the tops of flip-down tray tables aboard airliners in the fleet of  America West. The advertiser gets the entire airplane.
   Advertisers can buy 10 percent, a quarter or half of the airline’s fleet.
   “Most advertisers want 35 planes, or 25 percent,” says CEO Nick Pajic.
   Planes aren’t tied to specific routes. However, regional reach can be obtained, Pajic says.
   “Every plane in the fleet goes through Phoenix or Las Vegas every three days.
   Advertisers use the tray tops for branding as well as for promotions, Pajic says.
   “While a credit card company’s ad was direct-response driven, offering miles to passengers if they applied for an account, the History Channel’s ad for 'The Barbarian' was strictly branding.”
   Bank of America used a unique URL to draw passengers to promotions on its web site.
   The program appeals primarily to national advertisers. 
  Creative is provided by the advertisers. Ad sizes vary with aircraft, but are approximately 16.5 inches by 9.5 inches.
   “Creative has to be tasteful,” Pajic says. “We’re encouraging more copy. The reason being the average passenger looks at the ad for at least 20 minutes. We’re also encouraging ads that are interactive.”
   Bank of America used a game in its recent tray table ad.
  “Passengers had to unscramble a puzzle,” Pajic says. “They could go to the in-flight magazine if they couldn’t figure out the answer."
   An advertiser can use up to three different ads per campaign in the same plane. Creative can be changed every four weeks with a charge to cover new production costs.
   Advertisers use tray tables primarily as part of a media mix, Pajic says. Co-branding is often tied to other in-flight or airport mediums like in-flight magazines and video and airport dioramas.
   Airlines retain right of refusal on creative.

Markets
   America West has service to 93 destinations. The tray-top media program is available in the top 25 DMAs.
   Specific markets include New York-Newark, Los Angeles-Burbank-Ontario-Orange County, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Boston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington DC, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Seattle-Tacoma, Tampa, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Cleveland, Phoenix, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Denver, Sacramento, Orlando, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Portland, Baltimore, Indianapolis, San Diego, Hartford, Raleigh-Durham, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Columbus, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, New Orleans, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Austin, Tucson, Omaha, Spokane, Colorado Springs, El Paso and Reno.

Numbers
  America West passenger traffic in 2002 was 21.6 million. The projection for 2004 is 25.9 million passengers.  An average domestic America West flight lasts two and one-half hours.
   America West’s fleet includes 143 planes.

How measured?
   Passenger numbers are audited by the Department of Transportation. The annual number of passengers by city of ticket purchase in 2002:
- West Coast 6,109,577 tickets, or 28 percent of total.
- South West at 6,279,489, or 29 percent.
- Central and South at 2,260,192, or 10 percent.
- Midwest at 2,736,716, or 13 percent.
- East at 3,879,851, or 18 percent.
- Canada and Mexico at 344,071, or2 percent.

Research
  Research conducted in June 2002 by Stephen Lankton and Associates in Phoenix found that:
- 98.6 percent of passengers used tray tables during a flight.
- 96.5 percent say their perception of advertisers using the tray table medium would improve or remain the same.

What product categories do well?
   “Think high-tech,” Pajic says. “Computers, office equipment and other office related products.”
   Automotive, fashion and financial are also big categories. Alcohol and tobacco won’t be considered.

Demographics
   The age of America West passengers, according to the airline and verified by Mendelssohn:
- 65.3 percent are 18 to 49 years
- 41 percent are 35 to 49 years
- 72.2 percent are 25 to 54 years
-  male 58.5 percent to 41.5 percent female

Making the buy
    Lead time depends on availability, but is typically 30 days from the point that creative is approved and 45 days total.
   Factors that affect cost include number of planes, length of campaign, number of designs and production.
   Specific charges range from $2,400 to $3,100 gross for four weeks per plane, depending on the number of planes in the buy. Production costs are approximately $8 per tray table.

Who’s already on airline tray tables:
   Visa, Mercedes-Benz USA, the History Channel and Bank of America have current or recent campaigns.

What they’re saying
   “This was the ultimate perfect media for us because it allowed us to reach our No. 1 target, that is, people who travel America West. But for all advertisers the advantages are that it reaches the higher end demographic and has their attention for 20 minutes.” –Melissa Welch, vice president partnership marketing for Bank of America credit card services based in Charlotte, N.C.

Web site info
  SkyMedia International at www.skymediabiz.com

Etc.
   Branding logos can also be placed on pillows and blankets that are distributed for passengers’ in-flight use. Sampling – handing out an item like chewing gum – can also be added to a campaign.