Thank You

May 29, 2010

I arrived at the airport in St. Louis about an hour ago, making a connecting flight on Southwest from Denver, and something embarrassing just happened to me.

As we landed and were taxing to the terminal the pilot came on the PA with the usual announcements about keeping your seatbelt buckled until we reached the terminal, etc.

Then he added “and this Memorial Day weekend let’s keep in mind the real reason for the holiday and think of the service and sacrifices made by the men and women in the Armed Forces, some of whom have made the supreme sacrifice.”

A minute later, as we approached the gate the lead flight attendant came on the PA and also asked that we pay honor to those who had served. She then asked that as a small token of appreciation would everyone on the plane please remain seated and allow anyone who presently serves or had ever served in the military to deplane first.

The woman in the aisle seat to my left turned and said “did you serve?” When I said yes she stood up and said “come on, you get off first.”

I arose along with probably two dozen other men and women of all ages and quietly and embarrassingly took my carry-ons and headed up the aisle to the applause of those still seated. Along the way several older people looked up and and said “thank you” to each of us, as did the crew as we exited.

I was embarrassed as I walked up that aisle and could feel a tear in my eye.

I wish I could go back and thank those on that plane for their kindness.

Jim Ferri

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The Elvis Gig

May 29, 2010

Call me Mr. Cool. I just met Elvis.

Alright, so it wasn’t that Elvis. But it was the nearest thing to him in the person of Paul Brendan.

Paul, you see, is one of the most popular Elvis impersonators in Las Vegas. And there are a lot of them.

However, I met him in Orlando when the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority had flown him in for a 30-minute gig for international journalists at a major tourism trade show. That’s the kind of thing tourism organizations do. And don’t start bitching about the use of your tax dollars — the ROI on promos like this is often tremendous. (Click here if you can”t view the video).

Brendan first started impersonating Presley in his UCLA dorm when he was earning a degree in fine arts. And he’s been doing his Elvis gig professionally ever since he arrived in Vegas 15 years ago with $500 in his pocket. In those early days he’d take jobs impersonating Elvis at fees less than others would accept just to be able to pay the bills.

His act has taken him to about 20 countries and almost every US state, although he’s cut his travel back considerably to be with his wife and two boys. A few years ago his wife, a former Delta flight attendant from Kentucky, talked him into investing in a wedding chapel and doing Elvis weddings. It made sense, he says, since ” I just turned 43 — older than Elvis when he died — and I can’t do this much longer.”

But what kind of life can you really have when so many people recognize you, or at least who you’re supposed to be?

“Although it’s all my hair, when I walk down the street I mess it up and often wear a baseball cap so I done’t look so ‘Elvis-y’,” he says. “But I’ll never refuse anyone a photo.”

Still, there’s that unmistakeable resemblance.

“Yes, people come up to me all the time,” he confides. “For example, when I got off the plane this morning I heard the attendants say ‘Elvis has left the plane’. But it doesn’t bother me since this has afforded a good life for me and my children.”

A surprisingly good life. He has, he says, parlayed his Elvis gig into a net worth in the millions.

Nevertheless, you have to ask yourself, is there a down side to all of this?

He contemplates it for a few seconds. “Yes there is,” he says, “I haven’t been able to change my looks for 15 years.”

Jim Ferri

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Virgin Atlantic’s Missed Marketing Opportunity

May 17, 2010

There are a lot of good smart phone applications, or apps, available for smart phones to help you travel easier.

One really good one is FlightTrack. It lets you track any flight, gives you the exact landing time and gate number and even allows you to see the geographical position of the flight on a map at any time. It’s good for traveling but I find it even more useful when I’m picking someone up at the airport — no more guessing arrival times and which terminal and gate to go to. It’s all right there in my palm.

Many airlines such as Southwest, JetBlue and others have launched apps which let you book your tickets, look up schedules and check-in, all on your phone.

A few days ago, however, Virgin Atlantic came out with app called “Jet Lag Fighter” which seems to have a lot of potential for people like me who usually have to go into a meeting not long after flying into an airport. There’s just nothing better in London or Frankfurt than feeling hungover in a 2:00pm business conference.

Reading the product’s description, it seemed to me that Jet Lag will help combat all the negative effects of flying except for the cost of buying your ticket and getting your luggage lost. But when I saw its claim it was developed using “a clinically proven technique,” that nailed the deal for me. I mean who could ask for more than a product made with a clinically proven technique? I dove into iTunes and added another $1.99 to Richard Branson’s coffers.

When I launched the app the first thing it did was ask me for my birth date, gender, health status and bedtime, which I guess Virgin Atlantic thinks is good info to have in case they ever start a dating service. It then asked for my travel information.

As a test I told it I wanted to fly from New York to London, taking off at 10:30pm and arriving at 10:30am the following day. This took me to another page which gave the pros and cons of either using light exposure or adjusting my sleeping times on the days before departure. It then provided an interesting day-by-day schedule for each.

But when I touched the “What is the difference” tab — which explains to non-clinicians the difference between sleep adjustment and light therapy — it launched an audio lecture by the doctor involved in the development of the app.

It was then I realized a real marketing opportunity has been missed here.

Virgin Atlantic — if you want to generate a lot of good will and publicity don’t charge for the app but instead provide it free on all your flights.

Then just tell passengers to tap the “What is the difference” tab and they’ll all be asleep within seconds. And, of course, awake fully refreshed for those meetings.

Jim Ferri

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