Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Marketing To A Captive Audience

Innoblog, blog based on the principals found in the Innovator's Dilemma, recently released on article on "Market Research at 30,000 Feet."

Essentially talking about how Kraft Foods and JetBlue Airways Corporation is partnering up in a sort of marketing experiment. JetBlue will allow Kraft Foods to use their flights to present product promotions. JetBlue will serve some of Kraft's products while a pair of marketing agents will present Kraft's case to their captive audience.

This is a rather interesting way to go about it. Their audience is stuck there. They can't leave and there's nothing for them to do making them favorably inclined to listen to Kraft's presentation and to sample their products.

Also, more incentives may be given to people to take these flights in the form of reduced fares. Focused research groups tend to be costly to companies and they may be willing to use this as a substitute. The reduction in fares for flyers can potentially be dramatic. Perhaps even reducing the price to zero or a gain to flyers.

What do you guys think about this whole captive audience deal? Do you think it'll pick up and become something of more common practice or will it kill itself off?