Class Concepts: Promotional Class
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New ideas from Teague, Zodiac Aerospace, Airbus, Virgin and more are leaving traditional cabin configurations in the dust. In “Class Concepts,” a multi-part feature originally published in the March/April issue of APEX Experience magazine, APEX Media examines this new wave of concepts that promises a total overhaul of aircraft interiors. Read the full feature here.
Getting stuck in the middle seat is an undesirable situation that Poppi understands. “The middle seat is this abandoned area,” says Teague’s Devin Liddell. “It’s suboptimal. We all admit it’s suboptimal, but we don’t price it in a suboptimal way.” So to make up for that, Poppi adds value to the middle seat by showering those passengers with perks. “Onboard Poppi aircraft, middle seats are not middle seats – they’re positioned as promotional class,” says Liddell.
A concept illustration shows gift-wrapped merchandise from the Japanese casual clothier Uniqlo placed in every middle seat
and its logo emblazoned on each headrest cover – prime branding real estate for advertisers inside a confined aircraft cabin. “This could just as easily be Xbox or Nike or Adidas or any number of brands … that would partner with us from a co-making standpoint,” Liddell says.
Co-making is when two brands collide to develop a unique product, as done by Apple and Nike; Doritos and Taco Bell; and Fiat and Gucci. And now Liddell suggests that airlines jump on the trend, too. “This is where we’re bringing brands on board, into the cabin, to deliver unique experiences that only they can deliver,” he says. “If you’re on board a flight to Seattle, you might get a nice rain jacket from Uniqlo.”
And while middle-seat passengers relish the moment of unboxing, their neighbors look over with envy, wishing they had booked the middle seat, giving the advertiser even more exposure and miraculously turning the worst seat in the cabin to the hottest.