USOC sponsor United Airlines will launch a novel Olympics activation today -- a 70-minute on-board documentary about five Olympic hopefuls' attempts to qualify for Rio. The film, "Destination: Team USA," which was directed by Adam Hootnick, will debut on Flight 408 from Newark to Chicago O'Hare this afternoon, and continue to be available on every video-enabled United flight through September. The film was produced in a partnership with TriBeCa Digital Studios, a content partner for United's on-board entertainment. United has never done anything other than standard TV ads with its USOC rights in prior years, but execs thought a long-form doc could tell the Olympics' message while also hitting United’s own marketing themes. The film focuses extensively on the travel aspect of the athletes’ worldwide competition and training schedule. Team USA athletes fly on United under the terms of its sponsorship contract, which expires at the end of the year. United says 28.5 million people could potentially see the documentary. The airline has not projected what percentage of those fliers will actually watch, but are optimistic given the demand for entertainment among a captive audience. United Senior Manager of On-board Product Development Daniel Cuellar said, "This type of programming tends to do really well. It’s family friendly. It's the right time of year, obviously a lot of Olympics interest. The length works amazingly well for us, because it works on anything as short as an hour and a half flight and on long flights, people consume a lot of content."
WHO'S FLYING? The featured U.S. athletes include marathoner Andrea Duke -- who did not qualify for Rio -- as well as Paralympic judo wrestler Dartanyon Crockett, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and boxer Cam F. Awesome, who all have secured their spots. Diver Abby Johnson also is featured, and she will compete in the Olympics Trials on Sunday for a Rio spot. Momentum Worldwide advises United on its sports marketing strategy. United has already been activating on-board via its new pre-flight safety video, which features swimmer Missy Franklin and others. United is also planning a 30-second TV spot. Earlier this week, United started a program to encourage employees and customers to post pictures to social media holding a baton at United hubs, with every photo generating donations of frequent-flier miles to the USOC.
