Yes, we know time is money. The public understands that every minute we stand in line, are stuck in traffic or must navigate the trappings of bureaucracy we’re losing precious moments of our lives that we’ll never get back.

But consider this little fact: every minute of boarding time on an airline flight costs $30 per flight. Sure, in an airport $30 may represent a few beers at the terminal’s TGIF or a hidden fee for some minor (and infuriating) infraction of small-print protocols, but that number adds up when multiplied throughout the day. Just imagine all of those fellow passengers and the number of flights in a 24-hour period. Cha-ching.

Airlines view boarding times as an exploitable revenue area. Reducing boarding times translates into more efficient procedures, more flights and increased income. Therefore, American Airlines is rewarding passengers who travel without overhead compartment baggage the luxury of boarding early, just after first-class and other premium level passengers. Yes, American Airlines is encouraging customers to be low maintenance.

By now the public has learned to abandon hope of air travel ever returning to its glory days. We fully understand the impersonal, probing, fee-mongering practices of a business model that struggles to serve its customers. Most of us have already found ways of taking our trip into our own hands. We already travel light. We show up galvanized in an attitude that expects things to go wrong. We emotionally prepare ourselves for stuff—delayed flights, lost luggage or weary customer service. Read more

The public is tired. We’re worn out. We’ve paid our dues and deserve a break. Year after year of scraping by, eating Ramen noodles and consoling our unemployed friends and loved ones has all led to this: The reward. The payback for hanging tough. The feeling of indulgence, if just for a little while.

Delta Airlines is here to help the public do exactly that. Yes, you read that correctly, a U.S.-based airline is stepping up to make customers actually feel good about air travel. The last time that happened passengers were actually living the Mad Men life and not watching it on AMC. Yes, it’s been quite a while since the public had a reason to smile about flying.

But now Delta, as evidenced by a $1.2 billion investment in Terminal 4 at New York’s JFK airport, is unveiling a new attitude toward industry operations, profitability and most importantly, customers. You and me. The public. Yes, Delta wants to be liked by us. After years of saturating the public with promises of low fares and no-frills travel experiences, Delta is investing in the public’s emerging need for a break from the tedium and madness of air travel.

The public has had enough of the long and cringe-worthy security lines, the worn carpets and tired terminal aesthetics, the cancelled flights and cattle-call explanations from overworked employees, and the predatory fees for carry-on baggage and schedule changes. We can have nice things when we fly. And we deserve them. Read more

Sigh, another airline PR kerfuffle, this time involving the bare-bones Florida-based Spirit Airlines. The budget airline has decided to drop its toll-free 1-800 number and replace it with a number that will cost customers who make calls from a landline between 5 and 18 cents per minute.

To the public this move is cheap, opportunistic and completely forgettable because if you don’t have access to a cell phone somewhere—an uncle, a neighbor, even a complete stranger will lend you a phone—then you probably have bigger challenges to address than being fleeced by Spirit Airlines. (This weekend many grandmothers will be receiving iPads for Mother’s Day so they can follow their kids and grandchildren on Facebook; restricting minimal fees to landlines hardly seems exploitative unless you’re currently in jail, in which case you shouldn’t be traveling anyway.)

As PR professionals, businesspeople and capitalists, we understand that the airline industry is a tough venture. Customers want cheap prices, but the gate fees and fuel required to move those customers over state lines are very expensive. As businesses, airlines have to find some way to be profitable. So they cleverly have garnered their profits from the reliable shortcomings of human nature.

Back in the day Blockbuster raked in profits from late fees knowing that people consistently return movies past their return dates. That pronounced flaw in human nature also applies to travel, where passengers habitually make last minute plans and need to change their tickets or arrive with an extra carry-on bag. But Spirit Airlines, which has 71 different passenger fees, has taken this business strategy to another level.

So if you’re going to fly Spirit Airlines make sure you’re obsessively organized. And have a cell phone.

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Any adult who hasn’t had their inner child beaten out of them by life would jump at the chance to go to space. Who hasn’t dreamed of walking out of your kitchen only to pause and tell your spouse and kids, “Hey, I’ll be home a little late this evening. My spacecraft doesn’t land until 6:45.”

Today, Virgin Galactic took a major step forward with the successful test run of its SpaceShip 2 spacecraft, which reached an altitude of 56,000 feet and broke the sound barrier. Though SpaceShip 2 did not enter space, it did effectively demonstrate that its rocket and critical systems were ready for the next step. In fact, Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson said the brand plans on full space flight by the end of 2013—yes, this year. Cool.

As a child you probably thought we’d all be commuting to work in flying cars by now, but that’s what happens when you’re raised on The Jetsons and Star Wars. Reality, of course, is much different. Today, it doesn’t matter when you were born as much as how much money you have. And for a mere $200,000 you too can soon experience the miracle of space flight and even several minutes of weightlessness.

What does any of this have to do with public relations? Plenty. People want to be inspired. Deep within everyone’s DNA is the spirit of human adventure—that same cryptic drive that took mankind across tumultuous seas and frigid mountaintops just to see what lied beyond them.

We went island to island, continent to continent, and space is the logical next step. It comforts and excites the public to know that we’re not done. That we’ll keep pushing forward. Brands that can capture this dream will resonate with the public. So kudos to Virgin Galactic. You get us, and by us we don’t mean simply the people with a spare $200,000, but all of us.

Sure, there are aspirational brands out there that promise a life of exquisite luxury and decadent indulgences, but those promises only work for a certain demographic. Even the wealthiest and most perfectly tanned financiers who have just returned from St. Barts can’t compete with the pale geek who just returned from outer space. That’s just how the universe works.

Although the primary goal of Mariner is help generate buzz for Holland America Line cruises, the magazine also aims to provide material on par with other consumer travel publications.

“Mariner engages Holland America Line’s premium and returning passengers with a mix of cruise line service information, alongside literate travel narrative, world-class photography and high-level design and production,” said editor-in-chief Chuck Thompson.

And, lucky for you, the magazine is open to pitches from any publicist involved with tourist hot spots, as well as those with celebrity clients that have a strong connection to certain locales. For the whole story, including editors’ contact info, read How To Pitch: Mariner.

– Nicholas Braun

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“Out of sight, out of mind” need not apply to brands that are seasonal, annual or under renovation. Multiple marketing options, beyond having a social media or mobile presence, allow for destinations, museums, hotels, TV series, film festivals and sporting events to remain relevant throughout the year.

We’ve gathered twelve methods across categories to show how selected brands remain in public view. While these are similar to initiatives that year-round brands use, they often require more resourcefulness and additional resources.

     Make your presence known

1. Events: Offering a rich history, scenic countryside and famous golf courses, Scotland is a popular destination. During off-season April, Scotland hosts Tartan Week in New York. Festivities include a parade with Scots (and Scottish terriers) in kilts, and a trendy plaid fashion show.

2. Pop-up/temporary exhibits: Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum closed temporarily for an upgrade and will re-open this spring. Meanwhile, museum-goers can view the Dutch painter’s works at Amsterdam’s Hermitage museum.

     Get the word out

3. Generate buzz: Last year when New York’s legendary Waldorf Astoria was under construction, the hotel created an amnesty program  where prior guests were encouraged to return items they’d “borrowed” during their stays to showcase in the lobby. The program was intended to feed the hotel’s social media platforms and appeal to younger guests.

4. Sharing expertise: New York’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is currently closed during renovations. To draw designers’ notice, their acting director and curators started a blog. Called Object of the Day, it features graphic design items from the museum’s collection.

     Brand extensions

5. New location spin-offs: In 2002 Tribeca Film Festival launched to revive downtown New York after 9/11’s terrorist attack. The brand expanded its universe in 2010 by adding a Doha, Qatar location. In 2012 Sundance Film Festival introduced a London edition.

6. Counter-seasonal additions: Marketers learned about these brand extensions from the ski industry. Years ago Aspen was known just for snow sports. Ever since Aspen’s Food & Wine Classic was introduced, the town is also recognized for summertime culinary fare. Countless brands have copied this concept.

Read more

From charging passengers per pound to failed rebranding efforts, it’s no secret that we love following the PR trials and tribulations of the airline industry.

Air travel is critical to the personal and professional lives of the American public. So, it is important that we recognize the recognition of Virgin Airlines as the most reliable domestic airline in the United States (according to the 2013 Airline Quality Rating report).

Though many in the public see Richard Branson, the public face and private owner of Virgin Airlines, as some creepy billionaire hybrid of Mary Poppins and Andy Gibb, the brand certainly resonates with local travelers — and airlines everywhere should take note.

The Airline Quality Rating report does something very simple in measuring how successfully airlines fulfill the four most basic and pressing needs of customers: Read more

OK, this isn’t funny anymore. Yesterday the Carnival Triumph — the very same cruise ship that tempted many journalists to turn the phrase “poop deck” into a horrible pun — broke loose from a dock near Mobile, Alabama, and knocked two people into the Mobile River. One of the men is still missing. Thankfully, no passengers were aboard and all staffers have been accounted for.

The ship drifted for several hours before being returned to its dock position and surrounded by tugboats for good measure. The cause of this incident was “hurricane-force winds” in the gulf that had nothing to do with Carnival — but of course that doesn’t matter a whole lot to the public.

We honestly don’t know what Carnival can do to combat the cascade of bad news beyond what it’s already done: issuing sincere public apologies, offering refunds to everyone involved and getting ready to defend itself from a class-action lawsuit. Last month New York Senator Chuck Schumer proposed a “bill of rights” for cruise passengers that would give them more power in the case of such technical failures and require every ship to have both a backup power source and a team trained in emergency response.

We have a strong suspicion that the cruise industry doesn’t like Schumer’s proposal. But it’s not like they have any other options at this point.

Everyone is created equally and everyone should be treated equally. We all know this. These very ideas are the foundation for our deep beliefs in justice and equality.

So what about Samoa Air‘s decision to charge passengers by the pound — yes, the sum total of the weight of their bags and bodies — to fly? Nothing could be more fair than that, right?

At the local store we all pay the same amount for a pound of hamburger meat, or a box of tissues or a pair of jeans. Fair is fair. So why is Samoa Air’s decision to charge the public the same rate per pound to fly so controversial? Answer: because this is the worst public relations decision a brand can make. It may sound good in theory, but in practice it’s a PR disaster because it’s discriminatory, cruel and ignorant.

Read more

No one knows what makes a certain place special better than the people who live, work, and play there. Recognizing this simple fact, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper will tap not just agency professionals for the creation of the state’s new tourism campaign, but local residents as well.

This week Hickenlooper’s government called upon centennial state dwellers to share their ideas, photos, illustrations, etc. about what “makes Colorado, Colorado” via the official website Makingcolorado.gov and the hashtag #makingcolorado. The public will also be able to vote on ideas for a new state identity created by professionals like Made Movement, Sterling Rice Group and Karsh/Hagan.

The promotional video/call for submissions begins, “Colorado has always rocked…but…there’s been a renaissance in the Rockies.” It goes on to ask, “who better to help make the new brand, the new look and feel of the state of Colorado” than the state’s innovative, creative, and passionate residents. “We’re asking you, the people who have made Colorado so much more, to show us what makes Colorado Colorado.” Quite stirring, even to those of us who live on the other side of the country.

We look forward to seeing the outcome of this professional/public partnership, and we can’t help but wonder whether the team will seriously consider all the inevitable weed-themed submissions…