First Class All The Way
First class passengers on select Continental Airlines flights can soon carry that “first class” feeling with them, thanks to a new deal between Premier Bags, Inc., and the airline to distribute free luxury gift bags to customers.
Starting Feb. 1., Premier Bags, a New York-based product placement company, will distribute small, luxury gift bags containing top fragrances, books, cosmetics and skin care products to first class customers departing from Newark, NJ,—Continental Airlines’ largest hub—to Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle.
Products that will be part of the first cycle of gift bags include deluxe mini fragrances by Prada Parfums and Carolina Herrera, Ghirardelli chocolate squares, Iredale’s D2O Hydration Spritz and select titles from Bantam Books, including Persuader by Lee Child and The 37th Hour by Jodi Compton. Other products include the Caudalie’s lip conditioner and a Paco Rabanne fragrance.
Premier Bags plans to distribute about 10,000 bags each season over a one-month period, said Chris Carbone, company president and CEO. Spring, summer and fall gift bags are also being planned for distribution. The gift bags are valued at $150 to $250 and will contain between to five to seven different advertisers per bag, Carbone said.
The company plans to market its gift bag promotion through print, radio and TV ads. Premier Bags also launched a Web site to promote the company at Premierbags.com.
“Our business is predicated on the concept of bringing advertisers in close touch with their ideal target demographic,” Carbone said. “To that end, we help our clients achieve brand awareness and word-of-mouth promotion. We also firmly believe in the power of placing samples into people’s hands—what better way to let a consumer know how truly amazing your product is?”
Premier Bags selected first class passengers as its target market with a belief that consumers would make future purchases of its clients’ products, Laine Lipsky, CEO of Premier Bags, said.
The program gives Continental customers the “royal treatment” and gives the airline a boost among first class travelers who travel cross-country routes, she added.
“This is a unique way for the folks at Continental to express their thanks to their customers,” Lipsky said. “In an era of watching every penny, this is an unexpected and free gift that truly holds value and offers an element of fun.”
Premier Bags has a one-year agreement with Continental Airlines to distribute the gift bags. The deal will be re-evaluated at the end of the contract, Courtney Wilson, a Continental Airlines spokesperson said.
“Giving a unique array of products to our customers in first class really adds value to our business,” Wilson said. “It should really be a great thing for our customers.”
Lipsky and Carbone launched Premier Bags, Inc., in April 2004. The company offers product placement through programs that match advertisers with their target demographics.
Continental Airlines serves 151 domestic and 120 international destinations. The airline carries about 51 million passengers each year.
