AOPA uses TV ad campaign to show importance of GA
General aviation touches every American in an infinite number of ways. From assisting with hurricane relief efforts to air ambulance and other types of humanitarian flying, GA has become an integral part of everyday life.
To highlight GA's benefits to society and promote the world-class educational GA Serving America Web site, AOPA once again will be airing TV commercials on the Weather Channel during the busy holiday travel season.
New this year is a spot focusing on GA security in addition to the four rotating commercials that ran last year. The new commercial is slated to get more than 30 percent of the play. (View the first four commercials: broadband | dial-up.)
"No GA aircraft has ever been used in an act of terror anywhere in the world. Ever!" said AOPA Executive Vice President of Communications Jeff Myers. "That's a fact that gets lost in the media's persistent scaremongering."
The commercials will run about 125 times during a crucial time when pilot and nonpilot viewers alike are paying close attention to weather forecasts to get to their destinations.
The TV spots will address five key themes: GA is the largest segment of aviation; GA flies to all 5,400 public-use airports, not just the handful serviced by airlines; GA is the training ground for the airlines and the military; GA is a critical part of an entire transportation system; and GA does not represent a terrorist threat.
"While most of the viewers will probably never learn to fly, they'll come away with a much better understanding of GA," Myers said. "Of course it could always spark some interest and bring new pilots into the world."
The commercials are expected to reach more than 30 million viewers and direct them to the GA Serving America Web site. The site clearly shows that GA does everything from shipping packages, to protecting crops, to catching criminals. The site also provides safety and economic statistics. AOPA members can use the site to explain GA to friends, coworkers, and other members of the nonaviation community.
December 9, 2005
Related Articles
