Successful Program Continues to Produce Results for GA

By ANN Correspondent Rose Dorcey

At a news conference taking place at AOPA Expo 2004, Drew Steketee, President and CEO of BE A PILOT, announced that the BE A PILOT program expects to hit key milestones in 2005: its 250,000th registered pilot prospect in just seven years, and coverage in its 1000th consumer media outlet since 2001.

Response to BE A PILOT's paid advertising on national cable TV now numbers 23,631 as residual leads pour in. TV leads are up 4.5% and now exceed the projection announced at the NBAA just ten days ago.

Steketee (below) gave credit to a new media agency, GKV Advertising, Baltimore (MD) for reversing escalating ad costs. Advertising effectiveness is up significantly over 2003, with unit costs down 7.8% to $31.57 per TV lead compared to $34.26 last year.

Seketee also announced that the value of earned media exposure tops $15 million in 3.5 years. A BE A PILOT program to generate positive, informative and motivating stories in the consumer media has earned coverage in 250 media outlets this year to date.

Some 888 media outlets have now covered the BE A PILOT story on learning to fly for personal, family and business transportation, or for recreation, self-development or a career in aviation.

The value of this exposure, if purchased as paid advertising, according to Steketee, now exceeds $15 million as computed from rate cards for this newspaper/magazine space and radio/TV time.

FMI: www.beapilot.com