Centerline

As we aim to grow aviation, it can sometimes be helpful to look to other places for inspiration and ideas. For example, the aviation industry can learn much from how Harley-Davidson turned itself around in the 1980s and 1990s and, more recently, has found new growth by marketing its male-dominated product to females.

A study of scuba diving provides interesting insights, too. Like aviation, the hobby is conducted in an unforgiving physical environment that demands respect for training and safety.

It has a passionate community of active participants and, most important of all, it gives access to all the freedoms and experiences of a “different world.” As pilots we are proud to say that our ancestors dreamed of flying like the birds. Well, scuba divers
probably dreamed of swimming like the fishes, too.

I recently spent some time studying the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world’s largest recreational diving organization. PADI does a masterful job of providing a clear pathway into scuba diving, from absolute beginner to expert levels. Along the way, there are more than 25 opportunities to obtain training in “specialties”: wreck diving, underwater photography, night diving, ice diving, and coral reef conservation. Our equivalent in aviation would be things such as float and skiplane flying, aerobatics, and mountain flying.

I really like the clarity that PADI provides through the whole life cycle of a diver; it feels like a template that general aviation would benefit from adopting.

Another thing to admire is how the PADI system puts huge emphasis on the experience of the customer. The focus is not so much on obtaining your certificate—it’s on what you will be able to do with the certificate when you have it. Wider adoption of this way of thinking would serve aviation well, too.

PADI’s impressive social media efforts are another dimension of how to engage and grow a community of enthusiasts. I joined PADI’s Facebook page, and it soon became clear why the thing has almost 600,000 fans. Every day I’m being presented with stunning photos, inspiring videos, blogs, and comments that share a common passion for all things underwater. It all feels very inviting, and it is focused on highlighting the positive human experience of scuba diving.

Indeed, after a few weeks of exposure to this, I found it had made a genuine impression on me. I had no personal interest in scuba diving and joined the PADI Facebook page purely for research purposes. But for the first time in my life, I realized the thought had become lodged in my mind: “I need to go scuba diving sometime.”

This use of social media to promote the sport is very savvy. Without spending $4 million on a 30-second Super Bowl ad, PADI is reaching an enormous audience. Bear in mind that Facebook alone has more than 1 billion monthly users, YouTube 800 million, Twitter 400 million.

I smell a big opportunity here for general aviation. As we bring the new AOPA Center to Advance the Pilot Community to life, many people have suggested we create a nationwide marketing campaign to promote flying. This would be great to see, but the truth is no company or group exists with the ability to invest millions of dollars in such a thing—and the belief it will provide an acceptable return on that investment.

However, by combining the power of social media with our large and passionate community of aviators, maybe we can get the job done anyway. We have free use of the most efficient grassroots marketing tools mankind has ever invented, and we have an amazing story to tell.

For example, a video recently appeared on YouTube called Lainey’s First Airplane Ride. In my opinion it is hands down one of the best advertisements for aviation that’s ever been created. But it wasn’t made by an expensive ad agency—it was made by a dad who put a GoPro camera in his Aeronca Champ to capture his daughter’s first airplane ride.

At the time of writing this beautiful, authentic little film has been viewed 80,000 times. That’s a great start, but it deserves to be seen by millions. Can you help?