Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber
The message is hard to miss. Rolls-Royce has rented out a pair of massive billboards in Seattle, one in full view of Alaska Air Group’s corporate headquarters, touting its Trent 1000 XE engine as an option to power a chunk of its future fleet of Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners.
The ongoing campaign is limited to supplying engines to Alaska for seven of the 10 stretched Dreamliners the company has on order with Boeing. While it’s hardly a mega-deal, the aggressiveness of Rolls-Royce’s sales approach is a test of its commercial and technical traction in a market that has been dominated by rival GE Aerospace, which sits under the wings of Alaska’s current fleet of 787s.
Related: Sky-high jet fuel is pushing aviation to the verge of a correction
The billboards along a busy thoroughfare on the way to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport show a clouded-in Seattle skyline with the instantly-recognizable Space Needle poking above the weather with Mount Rainier in the background. The advertisement for Rolls’ Trent 1000 XE is aimed at a handful of the airline’s decision makers and reads: “With you for the long-haul.”
“We’re trying to be as bold as we can on the campaigns we think we can win,” said James Banks, senior vice president and head of external communications for Rolls-Royce. The visual real estate has been home to messages to Alaska’s leadership before. The union representing the Alaska and Hawaiian pilots used a nearby billboard to advocate for completing a revised collective bargaining agreement.
Subscribe to continue reading...Subscribe to Continue Reading
Our award-winning aerospace reporting combines the highest standards of journalism with the level of technical detail and rigor expected by a sophisticated industry audience.
- Exclusive reporting and analysis on the strategy and technology of flying
- Full access to our archive of industry intelligence
- We respect your time; everything we publish earns your attention
