Feature: kids onboard
should at least give something which has the potential to create an ongoing brand relationship; a connection, a dialogue, or a relationship. This in turn builds sustainable customer loyalty and children can become their greatest ambassadors.” Uniset specialises in travel entertainment for
kids and realises the power younger passengers have: “With kids, the gain is high when airlines do it well: they create brand preferences from an early age, plus, the cabin environment improves for all passengers when children are being entertained well. It’s not an easy task as the young are a brutally honest passenger group and will express their like or dislike strongly.”
How to please this tough segment is a subject
much debated. “It is increasingly more difficult to develop unique, entertaining products for kids’ inflight adventures,” says Lisa W. Benzaoui, ceo of Global Inflight Products (G.I.P.). “One approach that is taking on momentum is ‘back to basics with a twist’ – simple, classic games, colouring books and destination-oriented materials that double as memorable souvenirs of the family vacation. The key to delighting these important passengers is creating innovative items that also reflect current trends.” In G.I.P’s case, all its products are packed into a variety of backpacks which can be designed with a unique children’s character or mascot to represent a specific airline, branding and personalising the offering. FunForKids knows all about personal impressions. The Swedish company
This page, left: Uniset creates brand ambassadors for its clients from an early age, with its activity packs. Right: Skysupply worked with Air Berlin to create the character Air Bear. Opposite page, left: digital apps are the future for KidzSmart. Right: FunForKids creates its own characters
started out in reaction to badly thought out kids’ entertainment aboard planes, trains and ships: “The toys the kids got (if any at all) were boring, felt cheap and had no play value. We knew exactly what our kids wanted and what we as parents would appreciate for our kids,” says director of FunForKids, Anki Redving. “The company missed a chance to make an impression on us as a family. Anything a company presents for its customers is reflecting the brand values of the company, sending the message: ‘We care about the family’. This was our starting point.” IDT Jets in New Jersey supplies ‘out of the
ordinary’ aviation toys and collectables for children, using the novelty of the flight itself as inspiration and entertainment. Model planes, flight attendant dolls and junior pilots’ wings for kids to stick on are examples. IDT also has its nübyplane trademark, a cartoon aeroplane that extends to colouring books, an A-Z dictionary
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