How Alaska Air Came to Focus on a Boomer Hype House for Its Latest Marketing Flair
Skift Take
The boomer generation is one of the travel groups often underserved, but Alaska Airlines is trying to change that in a fun and economical way. Other airlines need to pay attention and come up with ideas to reach this revenue-driving generation.
As Alaska Airlines was looking for its next big thing with a fresh and fun feeling following its viral "Safety Dance" campaign, the airline's advertising agency suggested a focus on boomers.
For Natalie Bowman, managing director of marketing for Alaska Airlines, who throughout the pandemic has been spending countless hours on Tik Tok where her daughter has thousands of followers, this seemed like a good idea, she said. Off the cuff, she suggested having a boomer house, similar to Hype House, the Tik Tok collective that is getting its Netflix show. The idea took off.
"Just based on the insight that that was an audience that have money to spend, they've been cooped up, they were the first ones getting vaccinated, and it just felt like this is the audience that's going to have a great time," said Bowman.
Over the next few months, Alaska envisions seeing more boomers celebrating in resorts and having their own spring break moment, a holiday usually reserved for young folks, Bowman said.
The idea is to have boomer influencers live together in a California mansion or hotel in Napa, Sonoma, or Palm Springs for two days in August while making content for their and Alaska's social media sites, Bowman said.
[caption id="attachment_428434" align="alignright" width="300"] Alaska Airlines Boomers are vaccin
