Publicis Commerce Lead Jill Cruz Is Bullish on the United Airlines Media Launch

United Airlines’ newly-announced advertising platform is drawing interest from a variety of advertisers across different verticals.

United just launched Kinective Media, an ad offering using traveler insights to create personalized ads across a wide range of channels including United’s award-winning mobile app and inflight entertainment screens. The platform’s ability to reach specific audiences with minimal waste has caught the attention of brands looking to connect travelers at various stages of their journey, from pre-trip shopping to in-flight engagement.

In this video interview with Beet.TV, Jill Cruz, EVP of Commerce Strategy, Publicis Commerce, says she had “quick hand raisers” from brand clients for the United offering.

Attracting Travel Industry Advertisers

Cruz explains a number of brands have shown interest.

Travel brand interest

Cruz says one of the early adopters of United’s platform was a company in the travel industry. “If you are a brand and you’re advertising in reach and awareness, a lot of that media can be waste,” Cruz explains. “When you think about United and that they have unique IDs and they know exactly, literally, the ‘me’ that they’re hitting, there’s really very little waste there.”

Retailer capability

Another advertiser that showed interest in United’s platform was a retailer. By segmenting audiences and leveraging various touchpoints, retailers can ensure their messages reach travelers at the most opportune moments. “If you know that person is going on a business trip versus going on a family vacation, that might dictate what creative you might serve to those different people,” Cruz points out.

Beverage brand tags on

Another United ad buyer for Publicis was an alcohol beverage client looking to capitalize on the upcoming 200-year anniversary of scotch in 2024. The client planned to launch several new products in conjunction with this milestone. “They found some of the tactics that they could use within United’s Traveler Network really interesting, potentially sampling within the lounges and really just tag onto the buzz that was going to be created from this new launch,” Cruz shares.

Traveler Media Takes Off

Kinective Media is the latest media network launched by a commerce company, and the first airline to use insights from travel behavioral data to connect customers with brands.

United has nearly 100,000 seatback screens across its fleet. The ad offering also extends to its mobile app, lounges, gate displays and even off network, when travelers are between journeys.

Kinective Media said it was working with Norwegian Cruise Line, Macy’s, Chase United Co-Brand Credit Cards, TelevisaUnivision, IHG Hotels & Resorts, as well as agency groups like dentsu.