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USAIG: Reading From the Same Flight Plan

Greteman Group client United States Aircraft Insurance Group recently assembled all its managers from around North America to strategize and plan for its near- and long-term future. One of the many exciting initiatives USAIG has to share with company leaders is its dynamic, new brand. It truly soars.

A striking, unexpected look positions USAIG as the progressive, customer-first company it is. Equally important, for the first time in its long-and-distinguished history, USAIG has a consistent visual and verbal vocabulary. Team members across the country can now present a unified front.

Brand Itinerary

Establishing and maintaining brand consistency across all offices and team members only happens with planning and dedicated resources. USAIG recognized the importance of giving its 100-plus team members across 14 locations a tool to ensure brand consistency and asked Greteman Group for support.

The resulting brand itinerary includes a letter from both the chairman and president explaining the rebranding, brand voice, elevator speech, photography style standards, website strategy and much more. All are presented in the aviation vernacular spoken by USAIG employees.

Now that the USAIG leaders are well versed in their new brand, they can return to their teams, brokers, clients and the wider aviation community equipped with the consistent voice needed to lift the brand to even higher altitudes.

Winning New Battles

The brave aviators who helped hasten the end of World War I by crippling the Red Baron’s “Flying Circus” founded USAIG in 1928. The team that leads USAIG today honors that heritage by showing a heroic disregard of doing things the same old way. Which is why it’s always been – and remains – the industry leader.

11.14.11 · Sonia Greteman

Among the Legends

Ashley Bowen Cook and Kevin Jenks congratulate Mr. Learjet himself, Clay Lacy.

We often say that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before. Usually we don’t mean that quite so literally. Seated randomly at a table for the Kansas Aviation Museum’s annual gala and Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame induction ceremony, I was greeted by a familiar face – one I hadn’t seen for many years.

And as I talked with Garvin Speed, a test pilot for Hawker Beechcraft in the 1980s, I recalled where we’d met. On a photo shoot with my dad in Telluride, Colorado. For a 10-year-old, it was a grand adventure. As you can see from the photo, Garvin and the others on that shoot did their best to make it even more memorable.

Living in the Air Capital of the World affords us the opportunity to rub elbows with the men and woman who’ve made the aviation industry what it is today. This event honored Clay Lacy, a bona fide aviation legend, with induction into the Kansas  Aviation Hall of Fame.

Aviation truly is a close, tight-knit community, and Wichita remains a vital industry hub. I’ve been truly lucky to be part of that community my whole life. These days, though, I’m perfectly happy to stand alongside the legends, and honored to call some of them my friends.

11.10.11 · Ashley Bowen Cook

Think Globally – It’s not Just a Bumper Sticker Anymore

Once upon a time, the business aviation industry worked itself into a frenzy leading up to the NBAA convention, then heaved a collective sigh of relief when the show ended. Those days are long gone. A seemingly endless succession of business aviation conferences keeps OEMs and vendors busy year-round.

This month it’s the Dubai Air Show, a biennial event that in just 22 years has grown larger than NBAA. Nearly 1,000 exhibitors will serve well over 50,000 attendees. The show runs Nov. 13-17 at Dubai’s Airport Expo.

The Emerging Middle East

While much of the attention in recent months has focused on Asia – especially China – the Dubai Air Show serves as a potent reminder that the Middle East already is a strong and growing market for both commercial and business aviation. Several major announcements are expected at the show. The hope-inspiring events of the Arab Spring promise to add even more momentum to this surging market.

All of Wichita’s major manufacturers plan significant presences at the show, as do several Greteman Group clients, including FlightSafety International and Bombardier.

By the numbers, the United States continues to dominate business aviation. Analyses often focus on our ups and downs and view emerging markets elsewhere as a threat. But strong growth forecasts from Asia, the Middle East, Brazil and even Africa present a whole Brave New World of opportunity for aviation marketers. At the same time, our growing number of tools lets us reach people and places unimaginable even just a few years ago. It presents a new set of challenges, with enormous potential for those who are willing to embrace these new realities.

11.01.11 · Ashley Bowen Cook