Italian regional carrier AZZURRAair has begun using an offline marketing operations to promote its own brand, while continuing to fly as a code-share partner with Alitalia. The Bergamo-based airline is 49 percent owned by Air Malta and operates a fleet of BAE System RJ85s and Boeing 737-700s in scheduled and charter service.

Although AZZURRAir operates scheduled service to Rome and code shares with Alitalia, it wanted to begin scheduled service under its own brand to Denmark, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. "We have made a major corporate decision to promote our own brand while we continue to operate with Alitalia Airlines," said Dominic Attard, managing director and CEO.

However, the airline didn't want to open its own sales and marketing offices within those countries. As an alternative, it began using offline marketing company Discover The World Marketing (Discover). "We turned to Discover the World Marketing because of their familiarity with our product and capabilities, and we can count on Discover to help us establish our name in the market."

Air Malta was already an established client of Discover in Greece, "so we were already familiar with AZZURRAair and its services," said Derek Shanks, Discover's president. It also already had marketing operations within those six countries.

Shanks told C/R News that Discover works with airlines to provide a range of offline marketing services. It currently represents America West and America West Express in Japan, the Philippines, Brazil, Argentina and Taiwan; Delta in Austria; United in Pakistan; AeroMexico in 22 world markets; and BMI Airways globally. It also represents such major travel brands as Hyatt Hotels, Hertz Car Rental and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

Shank said that when a client company wants to be represented in a specific offline market, Discover will go into that market and find a company or individual who has the necessary skills and reputation to provide those marketing services. Discover then sets the company up as an independent contractor to market the client.

For AZZURRAair, Discover serves as the single contact point between the airline and the independent marketing offices in the six countries. Along with providing offline marketing for the client airline, a single office might also provide marketing for a variety of Discover clients, although it would not provide marketing for competing companies.

Shank noted that Discover currently represents more than 40 major travel corporations with 77 offices in 53 countries, with annual revenues of almost half a billion dollars.

>>Contact: Nancy Vaughan, tel: 602-912-9126; e-mail: nancy_vaughan@discovertheworld.com<<