American Airlines’ Original Audio Programming With Exclusive Content Wins APEX Award
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APEX Insight: American Airlines took home the award for “Best Original Audio” at last night’s APEX Awards ceremony.
American Airlines has turned in-flight entertainment into a branded cross-platform experience with the release of electro-pop group St. Lucia’s sophomore album, Matter, on its Center Stage audio channel. The campaign coincided with a feature in the in-flight magazine, American Way, and a DJ event held at the airline’s Admirals Club inside John F. Kennedy International Airport. Attendees at the listening party were given a photo op, driving social media engagement, which was bolstered by a contest for a chance to meet and greet the band.
Since American Airlines took all of its in-flight audio licensing in-house in 2014 – procuring agreements with two of the largest record labels in the world (the first airline to do so), Sony and Universal Music Group – the airline has been able to deliver audio content in more creative ways, beyond the typical on-demand media libraries. The Center Stage channel is updated on a monthly basis and has featured artists such as Leona Lewis, Neil Young and Demi Lovato.
“Sony Music is a great partner of ours and we had been looking to execute an exciting program together featuring Latin artists.” €” Laura Nedbal, American Airlines
Following the campaign for St. Lucia, American Airlines showcased pianist Arthur Hanlon’s, Viajero. The album was complemented by a two-hour show hosted on the airline’s Latin audio channel and video clips following Hanlon while he traveled to Rome, Andalusia, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Rio, Cartagena, Colombia and Mexico City.
“Sony Music is a great partner of ours and we had been looking to execute an exciting program together featuring Latin artists,” Laura Nedbal, communications manager, American Airlines, told Billboard. “When the Arthur Hanlon project emerged we knew it would be a great addition to our in-flight content lineup.”