INFLIGHT BROCHURE MONITOR |
 |
Airline: Qantas Title: In Sky Shopping Frequency: Three times a year Pagination: 68 pages (including covers) Category allotment (including advertising): Confectionery and children’s products/gifts: 6 pages; Consumer electronics and travel accessories: 4 pages Cosmetics: 11 pages; Fragrances: 16 pages; Jewellery: 7 pages; Spirits & Wines: 6 pages; Sunglasses: 3 pages; Watches: 3 pages; Writing instruments and leathergoods: 1 page; Mail order: dedicated pull-out brochure of 4 pages Emphasis on local products: Good Quality of paper: Satisfactory Picture reproduction/photography: Workmanlike Pre-order:Yes Website preview available? Yes at www.qantas.com/inskyshopping Website sale available: Yes Source: ©The Moodie Report |
AUSTRALIA. National carrier Qantas’ inflight brochure is the subject of this week’s evaluation and it is notable for conveying three key messages – newness, luxury and value.
The 68 page brochure is published by Alpha Flight Services, the airline’s concessionaire.
Entitled In Sky Shopping, the brochure covers the March to June period. The cover page is devoted (and sold) to Givenchy Very Irresistible while the cover lines announce that there are 36 new items onboard, that there are luxury items from ST Dupont, Hermès and La Prairie and that “up here we keep our prices down to earth”.
The inside front cover spread (Ralph Lauren Polo Black is the inside front cover advertiser) includes an insert for the airline’s new “inflight order coupons”. This points the reader to the order coupon (page 66) where they can fill out an order, give it to a member of the cabin crew and have the item/s delivered to their seat later in the flight.
The main contents page is entitled “Shopping is easy” and to ensure that is the case the main sections are annotated by conceptual as well as product description. For example “˜Pamper’ denotes fragrances, skincare and cosmetics; “˜Cheers’ is liquor and “˜Connect’ is electronics.
Four “simple steps” to buy onboard are listed (in English and Japanese) on this page:
– Select from the catalogue or create a wish list at Qantas.com/inskyshopping before you fly
– Ask a flight attendant or present the special coupon to them or the wish list from the website
– Pay by credit card, acceptable foreign currency, travellers cheque or Australian Dollars
– Enjoy your gift-bagged purchase before you disembark
Page 4 highlights eight of the “˜New on board’ items with a picture, price (in Australian Dollars) and page reference. Price points here range from A$55 (Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Glow Powder) to A$205 for Diesel sunglasses. Elsewhere in the publication a “˜New On Board’ banner is imposed by the product listing whenever a recent introduction is featured.
 |
 |
‘Life’s luxuries’ previews some of the brochure’s premium-priced items while ‘I wish’ is a reminder that travellers can preview – though not purchase – online before they travel |
An encouraging emphasis is given to the dedicated online shopping page. A double page spread (called “˜I wish’) shows the web pages and encourages the traveller to peruse before they buy and avoid duty free queues at the airport.
Also interesting is an “Easy Price Guide’ (page 8) which segments all items by price band (A$0-50; A$55-100; A$105-200; A$205-400; A$405-700) – again with the consumer-friendly page reference.
Some 16 pages (including full page ads for Miss Dior, Gaultier 2 and Dior Homme) are dedicated to fragrances, reflecting the strength of the category in Australia. Men’s fragrances account for three of those page. Cosmetics attracts 11 pages of listings (including an ad for Guerlain’s Bronzing Essentials Terracotta) featuring several new items (Guerlain, Arden, YSL, La Praire) and several exclusives (Jurlique, Bloom) and special multiple-purchase price offers (Clarins) or gifts with purchase (Revlon, Bloom).
“˜Style’ features 13 pages of jewellery, watches and accessories. New onboard are items from local jewellery houses Toscow and Wellington, Swarovski, Antica Murrina (glass pendants), Pierre Cardin, Raymond Weil, Tommy Hilfiger (watches), Casio, Diesel (sunglasses), and ST Dupont.
“˜Treat’ is five pages of “inspirational ideas” comprising local confectionery – Australia’s Paton’s to the fore as well as Ashmore’s – and a range of Qantas related collectibles (Premier Portfolio’s Fun Plane for example), hand puppets, and Akita and Gamze electronics.
 |
 |
‘Pamper’ leads into a strong fragrances and cosmetics offer; (below) some of the items from the ‘Connect’ consumer techonology range |
“˜Connect’ comprises “˜hot electronic gadgets’ including Bang & Olufsen headphones (A$195), a Minox digital camera, more items from Centaur Travel Retail’s Akita brand, Teleadapt, Braun and “˜noise cancelling’ headphones from Creative which reduce external jet engine noise to the wearer.
Liquor section “˜Cheers’ leads off with “˜the true Aussie spirit’ Bundaberg rum (“˜Hot deal – 2 for A$35′) and comprises one (and in deluxe Scotch’s case two) brand from key sub-categories: Baileys for liqueurs, Bombay Sapphire for gin, Absolut for vodka, Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker for blended 12yo Scotch and Wild Turkey for bourbon.
No tobacco items are listed.
The brochure closes with Customer Service information and a 28 day “˜money back guarantee’ and information on Qantas Frequent Flyer points from buying inflight. It concludes with a short summary of liquor and fragrance allowances for main Qantas destinations.
The outside back cover advertisement is for Pure Purple from Hugo Boss fragrances (P&G Prestige Products).
HAVE YOUR SAY: What inflight brochures are doing the job well? Are there any you would like us to review? Have your say on the industry’s only Forum, live on The Moodie Report.com. Simply click here and enter your comments in General Subjects.
OVERALL VERDICT:
A sound though unspectacular brochure with a sufficiently diverse range of items and pricepoints to appeal to most passengers. We like the web preview and the “˜Easy price guide’. The airline concessionaire rightly champions local producers such as Paton’s, Wellington, Bundaberg, Jurlique and Toscow.
The photography and layout is clear though not inspiring – few items jump out from the page. Colour coding or some other indication of sections might prove useful but the publication is well signposted at the front and no-one is going to struggle to find the item they are seeking.
No cigarettes? Why not at least a small, classy range of Habanos cigars and accessories which are light and premium-priced?
There are lots of new items (attractive to frequent flyers in particular) and a nice reassuring consumer-friendly tone throughout to build customer confidence.
MORE INFLIGHT BROCHURE MONITORS
Inflight Brochure Monitor: Singapore Airlines impresses with KrisShop offer – 06/06/06
Inflight Brochure Monitor: Korean Air Sky Shop – 13/04/06
Inflight Brochure Monitor: Qatar Airways launches stunning new onboard offer – 08/02/06
Inflight brochure monitor: British Airways – 05/01/06
Inflight Brochure Monitor: Emirates Duty Free – 23/12/05
Inflight Brochure Monitor: Swiss Duty Free – 12/12/05
Inflight Brochure Monitor: China Southern Airlines – 01/12/05
