Twicebaked
Veteran
- May 22, 2003
- 1,788
- 18
Crystal City...WAKE THE UP AND SMELL THE OPPORTUNITY.....
You have an airline in the making and NOBODY even knows about it..
United has the right idea..take a few lessons
Reports: Mysterious 'Ted' is advertising campaign for United's new low-cost carrier
Associated Press
DENVER - A mystery man named "Ted," who buys lunch for strangers and sprinkles his name around on stickers, signboards and even a farmer's field, is reportedly the creation of United Airlines' new low-cost carrier.
United isn't talking about "Ted," the last three letters of United, and a spokesman won't even confirm the airline is behind the blitz, reported by the Chicago Tribune and newspapers in Denver this week.
"All I can tell you is that we'll announce details when the time is right, and in the meantime we're going to have fun with our launch," said spokesman Jeff Green.
But the airlines' fingerprints are clearly on the campaign - starting with the fact that one Web site used in the campaign called www.meetted.com and another called www.flyted.com that's not yet operational belong to United, according to the newspapers. The server is registered to United Loyalty Services, a division of UAL Corp., United's parent company.
The low-cost carrier, to be based at Denver International Airport, is part of Chicago-based United's effort to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
United is expected to announce the new carrier's launch in the next few weeks, the newspapers said.
The "Ted" campaign is designed to catch the attention of people in their teens and 20s, said Steve Whittier, creative director of Factory Design Labs in Denver.
Recently, "Ted" paid for everyone's lunch at a downtown restaurant and sprang for desert for everyone at another restaurant.
He spelled out his name in huge letters made with sod in one field about 50 miles north of Denver, The Greeley Tribune reported.
"Obviously it's for somebody who is into sort of a free, independent-skier sort of lifestyle," Whittier said. "They are playing to reality advertising. They are definitely trying to go low-cost. They are trying to create an Internet cult following."
The big question is if it will work. Michael Boyd, an airline consultant in Colorado doesn't think so. "They can call it Ted; they can call it Trans-Deficit Airlines. It doesn't make any difference. The concept doesn't work," he said.
Boyd and other experts say say low-fare airlines within mainline airlines have two major challenges: keep costs low and avoid confusion that different airline brand names can cause for customers.
Previous attempts have been met with mixed results. In 2001, United dropped its Shuttle after costs ran too high. US Airways closed it's MetroJet unit the same year.
In the 1990s, Delta launched its Express brand in the 1990s to compete with low-fare carriers. In April, Delta replaced that concept with Song, a new discount airline. So far, Song has done well.
You have an airline in the making and NOBODY even knows about it..
United has the right idea..take a few lessons
Reports: Mysterious 'Ted' is advertising campaign for United's new low-cost carrier
Associated Press
DENVER - A mystery man named "Ted," who buys lunch for strangers and sprinkles his name around on stickers, signboards and even a farmer's field, is reportedly the creation of United Airlines' new low-cost carrier.
United isn't talking about "Ted," the last three letters of United, and a spokesman won't even confirm the airline is behind the blitz, reported by the Chicago Tribune and newspapers in Denver this week.
"All I can tell you is that we'll announce details when the time is right, and in the meantime we're going to have fun with our launch," said spokesman Jeff Green.
But the airlines' fingerprints are clearly on the campaign - starting with the fact that one Web site used in the campaign called www.meetted.com and another called www.flyted.com that's not yet operational belong to United, according to the newspapers. The server is registered to United Loyalty Services, a division of UAL Corp., United's parent company.
The low-cost carrier, to be based at Denver International Airport, is part of Chicago-based United's effort to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
United is expected to announce the new carrier's launch in the next few weeks, the newspapers said.
The "Ted" campaign is designed to catch the attention of people in their teens and 20s, said Steve Whittier, creative director of Factory Design Labs in Denver.
Recently, "Ted" paid for everyone's lunch at a downtown restaurant and sprang for desert for everyone at another restaurant.
He spelled out his name in huge letters made with sod in one field about 50 miles north of Denver, The Greeley Tribune reported.
"Obviously it's for somebody who is into sort of a free, independent-skier sort of lifestyle," Whittier said. "They are playing to reality advertising. They are definitely trying to go low-cost. They are trying to create an Internet cult following."
The big question is if it will work. Michael Boyd, an airline consultant in Colorado doesn't think so. "They can call it Ted; they can call it Trans-Deficit Airlines. It doesn't make any difference. The concept doesn't work," he said.
Boyd and other experts say say low-fare airlines within mainline airlines have two major challenges: keep costs low and avoid confusion that different airline brand names can cause for customers.
Previous attempts have been met with mixed results. In 2001, United dropped its Shuttle after costs ran too high. US Airways closed it's MetroJet unit the same year.
In the 1990s, Delta launched its Express brand in the 1990s to compete with low-fare carriers. In April, Delta replaced that concept with Song, a new discount airline. So far, Song has done well.
Maybe it's just me, but I found that funny.
