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International Marketing Study Program 2004
Boeing
29 January 2004
At 8 am, the Boeing bus drove us to the first stop, Boeing headquarters, we were given a very friendly greeting by Cheryl Brown upon arrival. Laura Peterson, Vice President - International Relations presented us with an excellent overview of the company and its strategic vision, touching on issues such as the impact of Sept 11th, the Boeing value proposition (maximizing the return on investment for the customers while reducing overheads).
Michelle Crippen spoke to us about marketing and engaging in the world of public opinion as an influencer on the decisions that Boeing makes about its aircraft. Michelle also highlighted marketing technique - “constituent marketing” that Boeing employs, which involves geo-political environment, suppliers and co-operative marketing. Gordon McHencry Jr., Director of Government & Community Relations spoke about business relationships and activities that involved sponsorship; furthermore, he also talked about the mutual benefits between parties in a sponsorship agreement.
Klaus Brauer, Project Director Passenger Revenue Development Marketing, discussed the psychology behind the interior design of new Boeing airplane, The 7E7 Dreamliner. Klaus showed such enthusiasm has he walked us into the 7E7 Dreamliner prototype. The plane of the future, which will have its first flight in 2008. The prototype was very spacious, with high ceilings and unconventional working galley - a place to stand and walk with ease, blue LED lighting, larger windows, easy wheelchair access, separate lavatory for males and females. Furthermore, he discussed the challenges faced by Boeing in creating the perfect interior architecture which is customized for each airline company.
After the beautiful three course lunch at Boeing's function room, hosted by Debbie Heathers-Stiteler, Senior Manager Communications Commercial Airplanes, we hopped back onto the bus and headed to the manufacturing site. As we entered the plant, we were overwhelmed and astonished by the enormous aircraft awaiting us. The twenty two of us were warmly greeted by April Wilson, where she gave us an informative, factual and very interesting presentation about how aircrafts are assembled. A 747 aircraft is considered to be the largest in size, carrying on average of 450 passengers while 777 and 767 can carry 350 and 250 passengers respectively. It takes approximately 30-50 manufacturing days to build the airplanes depending on the type of aircraft being made.
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