Challenge

FlightSafety International stands apart as the world’s premier aviation training organization. More than 75,000 pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals train at its facilities each year. The company designs and manufactures full flight simulators for civil and military aircraft programs and operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at 40 training locations. Aviation legend A.L. Ueltschi founded the company in 1951. President Bruce Whitman joined FlightSafety in 1961.

The company uses the same legal and accounting firms it’s had since day one and had its last advertising agency for 20 years. This kind of loyalty, dedication and history offers tremendous advantages, but also creates a conservative corporate culture. That isn’t necessarily bad for a company built on promoting safety and methodical thinking, but it can lead to marketing efforts that don’t properly reflect the company’s innovative training and high-tech savvy.

Insight

We came on board with the understanding that there would be no discernible changes. We knew we needed to first gain management’s confidence and buy-in, following established brand guidelines, making only minor enhancements here and there. As these met with success – a magazine readership award, positive comments from customers, increased feedback from direct mail — we started making not only design and copy improvements but producing interactive ads, creative direct mail campaigns and revamping the company website.

Solution

Successes include powerful ads that pull together testimonials for the effectiveness of FlightSafety training by people who know aviation safety: CEOs of major aircraft manufacturers and of major corporations with large flight departments. The ads create a sky-filled chorus of strongly worded endorsements, retaining the FlightSafety brand while extending it with bold, clean lines and a crisp, progressive appearance. We’ve highlighted the FlightSafety Advantage in bold tradeshow booths, reinforced customer loyalty through programs such as the SafetyStar, and communicated the company’s unrivaled leadership through environmental history displays installed at all 40 Learning Centers worldwide.

Results

Members of upper management have come to view Greteman Group as an integral part of their team. We are helping FlightSafety maximize opportunities, including results-oriented support for new learning centers in London and Savannah, promotion of new services such as myFlightSafety, and team-building through such initiatives as the new Best of the Best instructor recognition program. The industry is taking note. A recent Aircraft Maintenance Technology independent readership study gave a Greteman Group-created FlightSafety ad its highest overall performance score. More important, FlightSafety enjoys an overwhelming market share.