SEATTLE: As Boeing prepares to launch a new service that will offer high-speed in-flight access to the internet and corporate intranets, the company has tapped Waggener Edstrom to help introduce the offering.
Connexion by Boeing will debut March 17, 2004 on Lufthansa. The Connexion campaign will focus on raising awareness of the service among business travelers in North America, Europe, and Asia.
"As you can imagine, Boeing does not have a great deal of experience in the consumer space," said Sherry Nebel, VP of communications at Connexion by Boeing. "That is where Waggener Edstrom will help us.
"We've done a lot of research on this," added Nebel, about looking into the demand for in-flight broadband access.
"About 75% of business travelers take their laptops on board, more than 60% are very or extremely interested in in-flight broadband access, and 20% of flyers said they'd switch flights to have that access."
WagEd will manage the launch from its Bellevue, WA office, with help from offices in Munich and London.
The agency will help build awareness and demand for the service, as well as what kind of applications are available to travelers, whether it's paying bills from 30,000 feet, sending e-mails, or posting memos on a company intranet, said Jennifer Gehrt, WagEd's director of business development.
Gehrt added that the struggling airline industry's desire to attract more passengers makes the service all the more timely, and will certainly help attract media attention.
