Virgin Atlantic’s Flight Tracker iPhone app enables users to access a range of flight-related content. This includes tracking the exact location of any of its planes in real time, plus viewing videos of flight destinations, checking-in remotely and accessing flight schedule information. However, in order to raise awareness and generate engagement, Virgin decided to use an online film. This would enable demonstration of the features and benefits of the latest version of the app. With the goal of boosting Flight Tracker app downloads and increasing longer-term brand engagement, the launch of the app was an integral part of Virgin Atlantic’s marketing investment. The film was initially targeted at Virgin Atlantic customers and was designed to engage audiences who were not familiar or necessarily comfortable with iPhone apps and related services. Part of this engagement was to be achieved through the use of a humour platform. The story selected was about a single man called Terry who lived in a flat that was under the London Heathrow flight path. Terry was infatuated with a plane named ‘Rose’ and the humour was embedded, unsurprisingly, in Terry’s use of the Flight Tracker app to follow Rose wherever she might be around the world. He had also constructed a shrine to Rose, made up of various Virgin Atlantic artefacts. Once the film was finished, the Flight Tracker and the promotional film were initially targeted at existing Virgin Atlantic customers. To reach them the content was made accessible through virgin-atlantic.com and its social media channels. After this launch phase the Flight Tracker video was then seeded on various third-party channels such as forums and travel blogs, plus comedy and tourism sites. Source:Anon (2011)

Question Discuss the view that the use of apps is just a modern way of retaining customers.

Task Find three apps used by other transport-based organisations and make notes about their role within the overall marketing communications.