SECTOR FOCUS: AVIATION Lufthansa’s hidden treats

German airline Lufthansa is on the promotion trail. It’s about to launch its very own A380 and is celebrating the end of the economic crisis with record profits (€130m).  As well as its chocolately treats, it’s harnessing the power of digital and new technology to reach passengers.

The slogan for the wider campaign for the launch is, ‘A380 Be part of it’ and the airline has held an online competition for people to indeed ‘get onboard’ and name its new big bird. The airline received a more than 150,000 entries and is now deciding out of 50 finalists.

The Lufthansa website also has a dedicated microsite which has a gallery of pictures of the new aircraft as well as an interactive 3D film showing passengers around the plane. Flights on the A380 will begin next month.

Lufthansa has been busy in terms of marketing so far this year. Last month it launched an optimized iPhone application allowing customers access to a host practical information about services while on the go. 

With a navigation function resembling a flight instrument in the cockpit, iPhone users can view the Lufthansa timetable, update on flight arrival and departure times or store frequently used flight connections.

A “Webview“ function in the application allows access to flight bookings, online check-in online, booking information and access to Miles & More.

The new application is free and can be downloaded from the App Store. The airline is now working on further applications for Blackberry and Android devices.

In February, the airline launched the Lufthansa Navigator app to help passengers  find their way around airports. This app is structured like a navigation system and is designed to guide users reliably from their current position to their desired destination at the airport whether it be the gate, the check-in desk or the baggage claim area.

Once the starting point and the destination have been entered, the application calculates the virtual route and displays it on the iPhone.

Finally, Lufthansa has also teamed up with chocolate maker Ferrero to develop mini versions of the A380 to fit insider Kinder Surprise eggs.

Two million mini aircraft will be built including little A380s belonging to Star Alliance members Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines.

When it comes to marketing, size rarely matters it would seem.