Case Study: Selling Aircrafts Using Social Media Tools

This is a creative case of a luxury company using social media tools to sell an $140,000 aircraft. 

Piper Aircraft launched an entry-level plane called PiperSport. 

Its Marketing Director hired a video production boutique and a content writing firm to create the original content for the Facebook, YouTube and Twitter channels. 

In two weeks people discovered the PiperSport through social media and now are in sales conversations with Piper or its dealers. At least one $140,000 airplane has already been sold online. 

As of today:

• Videos about the PiperSport posted on its YouTube channel have been viewed 41,000 times. (See below the main video)
   
• Over 8,000 fans on Facebook, a large percentage on whom are active, engaged, and contributing to the community with photos, news, insight, reviews and enthusiasm. 
   
• Major aviation journalists and bloggers are following PiperSport on Twitter.
   

The total outlay for this social media campaign has been $40K.

It included: strategy development, video production, content development and implementation, social media channel management, and media placement and promotion. 

One of the participants, Janice L. Brown, explains in her blog that at the beginning Piper Aircraft took a traditional approach. It planned to announce the new plane at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2010 at Sebring, Florida, with demonstrations, a press conference, and press rides. But the firm decided to invest also in an integrated social media campaign. 

The campaign reached out to pilots, flying enthusiasts, journalists and bloggers around the world, quickly extending the excitement far beyond Sebring and creating fans all over the world. And generating demand for the plane. 

Janice L. Brown highlights "the campaign was successful because of several strategies:"

• "Authenticity and empathy -the right tone and content dramatized the PiperSport experience for the online audience.
   
• Engaging multimedia content, created by informed people (Piper and its fans/followers).
   
• Emphasis on interactive conversation instead of just publication.
   
• Tight integration of the three social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) and
  integration with the marketing goals and overall marketing campaign. 
   
• Careful timing and pacing".