Southwest and Omni Leverage April's Solar Eclipse in a Spacey Marketing Mission

For the uninitiated, a total solar eclipse takes place when Earth’s moon passes between our planet and the sun. During the eclipse, the moon’s umbral shadow moves along what’s known as a path of totality, a long diagonal arc below which the daytime sky darkens suddenly, approximating dusk. That’s the scientific explanation, anyway. But if you happen to work in corporate marketing, the breakdown is far simpler. The eclipse is coming on April 8, so now's the time for a bit of planetary promotion. That was the thinking a few months back when Kurt Alexander, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts, got in touch with Ryan Green, the chief commercial officer at Southwest Airlines. The question: Would you like to get in on something galactic? Southwest did, and the results of the collaborative effort make their debut today in what the brands are terming a “Solarbration.” From now until March 11, skyward-looking Americans can enter a sweepstakes. Two winners will get a pair of free tickets for a Southwest flight with a commanding view (no clouds in the way!) of April's eclipse, along with a night’s stay in an Omni property on either end. “When the stars align like this,” Southwest’s director of brand and content Julia Melle told ADWEEK, “there’s an opportunity.” One of Omni's eclipse-themed rooms. Work with what you have There's opportunity indeed—and no shortage of brands that have realized it, especially those located along the track where the full eclipse will be visible. Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort in upstate New York is offering a Solar Eclipse Viewing Party with live music. In New Hampshire—which was last in a solar eclipse’s path of totality in 1959—state tourism officials have called April 8 a “massive opportunity” for hotels and restaurants to draw vacationers. On Feb. 19, Delta Airlines announced that one of its Airbus A220s (known for their extra-large windows) would take off on a dedicated eclipse-chasing flight. Seats sold out in 24 hours. What’s especially notable about the Southwest/Omni promotion, however, is that it used the existing assets of both brands and redeployed them at modest expense to suit the occasion. The eclipse’s path of totality runs diagonally from Texas to New England, passing over cities including Dallas, Austin and Indianapolis. As it turns out, Southwest already operates service between Dallas and Pittsburgh (Flight 1252) as well as Austin and Indianapolis (Flight 1721), allowing the carrier to offer prize packages aboard existing flights—no extra crew, no extra fuel, no extra plane. Southwest's eclipse swag includes these napkin designs. “We have network and schedule planners, and they determined the Southwest flights that have the greatest likelihood of offering customers on board the best view,” Melle explained. The contest winners will get more than just a window seat, however. Flight attendants will pour drinks from a special eclipse-themed cocktail menu into eclipse glasses that sit atop eclipse napkins while passengers regard the astronomical event from 36,000 feet. (Printing on one napkin asks: “How’s that for inflight entertainment?”) Another important perk: solar viewing glasses. As both brands—and this publication—are keen to point out, looking directly at a solar eclipse will burn your retinas and possibly leave you blind. The American Astronomical Society suggests glasses meeting the international safety standard rating of ISO 12312-2. Omni's decorator details include a themed door and an astronaut nebula projector. A lunar makeover A similar synergy operated in favor of the Omni marketing team, as well. Fourteen of the company’s 50 hotels lie along the eclipse’s path of totality, including the destination cities of Dallas, Austin, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. And so adding the overnight stay component of the package was pretty much a matter choosing what rooms the winners will sleep in. Not that Omni’s marketing department passed up a chance to make a big bang. Director of brand management and marketing Colleen Buckley instructed the company’s interior design team to “blow this out of the park.” And, she added, “they went all out.” A selected room in each of the hotel properties got a cosmic makeover complete with a midnight sky ceiling, planetary mobiles, sun and star lamps, and blue velvet pillows embroidered with eclipse phases. The doors to these rooms have been done over in sky blue with Southwest’s heart logo enclosing the peephole. Said Buckley: “It’s just a full-on, decked-out, solar eclipse, cosmo, out-of-this-world galactic themed room.” Southwest's ground crew equipped with solar-viewing glasses. Once in a blue moon Far out, huh? Sure. But the looming question is: If this contest has but two winners, how can these celestial flourishes, fun as they are, benefit both brands on a national scale? In addition to the buzz created by the companies’ combined efforts on their social media platforms, Melle pointed out that Southwest Flights 1252 and 1721 will also be full of ordinary passengers, some of whom may have no idea about the eclipse or the promotion until they see the special swag in the cabin and, of course, look out of the windows. Word of mouth is still a valid marketing tool, after all. For its part, Omni will give flight passengers top-tier membership in its Select Guest Loyalty Program. And what about the vast majority of Americans who won’t be flying Southwest out of Dallas or Austin and don’t live anywhere near the path of totality? According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse that’ll be visible from the United States will happen on Aug. 23, 2044—a mere 20 years from now.