The birth of the Learjet in 1963 is part of our heritage as citizens of the Air Capital. Rule-breaker, inventor and idea-driven entrepreneur Bill Lear started a revolution with the first flight of the Learjet 23. And half a century later, in 2013, the people of Bombardier were still dreaming and pushing boundaries, ensuring the legend would fly on. Our 50th anniversary book leverages quirky Bill Lear quotes and moves from the Learjet 20 series up to the Learjet 85. The Learjet began as a radical idea. A jet designed for private travel. Built by an inventor who never attended college. Embraced by a generation who wanted to go everywhere. Accomplish everything. Upon publication, the book became an immediate coveted item and prized possession of Bombardier customers and team members. The history wall provides a striking touchpoint for people arriving at Bombardier’s completion center and delivers an immersive experience in the history and products of Bombardier Learjet. It leaves a lasting impression of the business jet that created the jet set – and changed the world.
This video introduced you to the pros designing, building, testing and flying these legendary aircraft. We’ve always loved this video because of its authenticity. These are actual Bombardier Learjet employees speaking unscripted, unprompted lines. But to get real people looking this natural on camera – well that takes effort. Fortunately, Sonia Greteman’s a pro at getting folks to relax, show their personality and speak from the heart. We accomplished this shoot in one, packed, sun-up-to-sundown day.
We traveled the world interviewing owners, pilots and maintenance technicians to showcase not just the aircrafts’ benefits and features, but to position Bombardier’s family of business aircraft – from the legendary Learjet to the ultra-long-range Global Express – as jets that mean business. We showcased every area of Bombardier’s corporate air-travel solutions – charter, fractional ownership and full ownership. Contrails became the not-to-be missed publication of who’s who. It also generated more direct sales leads than any other marketing tool.
How do you draw high-net-worth individuals to a multi-day event when their schedules are already jam-packed with work, nonprofit, friends and family obligations? Many times, Bombardier charged us with helping draw current and prospective customers. The direct mail and landing pages we did for the Aspen Food & Wine Classic was one of our favorites. We touted a special dinner (prepared by a celebrity chef) and paired with boutique wines. It included passes to the Food & Wine Classic, plus VIP treatment throughout the weekend event. We created a mark to brand and communicate the event’s special nature – and visually link it to Bombardier. The first year’s custom invite came in a handcrafted wooden wine box. The second year, we printed the invitation on cork and supplied an additional digital version for convenience. As people became more familiar with the event, we simplified the invitation and made it all digital.
Our marketing in aviation ad campaign targeted potential owners and brokers of Bombardier Pre-Owned Aircraft. It deftly communicated the multitude of options available. Buy the jet as is and make it your own or tailor it to your specs with new livery, interior, avionics. You name it. All to factory standards. The campaign’s bold, beautiful photography grabbed attention. Headlines made you linger. And the Bombardier name just made you want it. Real bad.
Marketing in aviation isn’t all ad campaigns, but it is all aircraft. Nothing captures attention quite like an oversize, three-dimensional holiday card. We constructed this one with only two strips of paper. The piece shipped flat in a standard envelope. When opened, it popped into the shape of an abstract jet. The math and engineering involved in the design appealed to the target audience of ultra-affluent aircraft owners. Printing silver foil on white kept the focus on the design and added an elegant, subtle treatment for the seasonal greetings and Learjet, Challenger and Global logos. The mailer included an enclosure card for protection during shipping and space for personal notes from the sales team.
We rely on our subject-matter experts to develop our aviation safety human factors training. We view Greteman Group as our digital marketing subject-matter expert.
JANET SCHIEBELHUT, 2014
Bombardier Safety Standdown
In the 1990s, Bombardier Learjet began an annual in-house safety seminar, intended to refresh memories about current safety protocols, introduce new and innovative safety processes and generate renewed enthusiasm for safety. Safety Standdown quickly grew outside the immediate Learjet family, transforming into a premier safety training event and informational exchange for the entire aviation community. Early on, Bombardier opened the standdown to all comers, regardless of the type or make of aircraft flown, pledging to keep the event focused on safety. There is nothing for sale and no marketing messages allowed. Over the years, the event has held seminars in Europe, South America and Asia. Demand consistently exceeds available slots. Bombardier sought a way to keep the conversation going year-round while also making valuable safety information available to the broadest possible audience. We met this challenge with an interactive website. Open forums offer commentary and safety updates by experts and peers. Sign-ups keep safety front and center with alerts and enrollment for free seminars. Regularly updated content makes the site worth frequent repeat visits. It doesn’t matter whether you fly a Bombardier aircraft. Just that you want to be the safest pilot, flight crew, maintenance technician or flight-department manager possible. Remember the mantra: “Learn-Apply-Share.” Safety affects us all. And doesn’t happen just once a year.
The new millennium gave us an opportunity to tell the story of flight. We did it in an embossed, hard-bound Bombardier owner-exclusive book with a 2000 calendar. Days celebrated milestones in manned flight. The beginning of the world’s first regularly scheduled passenger air service in 1914 (in St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida of all places). The first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound – the rocket-powered Bell X in 1946 in California. And so on. Twelve Greteman Group original art collages and inspirational quotes by the likes of Charles Lindbergh made it a joy to turn to the next month. High-level Bombardier aircraft product points were subtly woven throughout. One of the beauties of this project you cannot see. And that was its development. From the time this project was greenlighted till produced would make your head spin. Our designers, copywriters and production staff put it into high gear. And you thought jets moved fast.
Covering a cyclist with branded visuals and messaging was such a fun exercise in three-dimensional thinking.
SONIA GRETEMAN
Greteman Group
president and creative director
We emblazoned this limited-edition, cycling jersey and shorts with Bombardier’s complete family of aircraft. This apparel posed a true design challenge because of the need to wrap the design in three dimensions while working every angle and considering seams and placement on the body. The patterns and textures we dreamed up move through space in an aerodynamic way. If you saw a cyclist ride by in this, you’d remember. Even better, if you were the cyclist, you’d swear you could fly.