The Moodie Report

GENERAL NEWS

Inflight Brochure Monitor: Qatar Airways launches a major Shopping Extravaganza – 25/05/07

Published: 22/05/07

Source: ©The Moodie Report

By Martin Moodie

Airline: Qatar Airways

Title: Shopping Extravaganza

FREQUENCY: Twice a year

PAGINATION: 132 (including covers)

CATEGORIES (including advertising):

WOMEN'S FRAGRANCES: 47 pages

COSMETICS & SKINCARE: 23 pages

MEN'S FRAGRANCES AND SKINCARE: 22 pages

ARABIC FRAGRANCES: 3 pages

WATCHES & JEWELLERY: 16 pages

SUNGLASSES: 1 page

KIDS: 2 pages

TRAVEL ACCESSORIES: 8 pages

SOUVENIRS: 3 pages

LIQUOR: 3 pages

CIGARETTES: 4 pages

Quality of paper: Excellent

Photo quality: High

Pre-order: Yes, at least 72 hours before your flight leaves - via telephone, fax or e-mail at Qatar Airways. Passengers can also pre-order while onboard, to collect on the return flight.

Website preview available?:
Yes, at www.qatarairways.com/inflightdutyfree.html

Website sale available:
No

QATAR. National carrier Qatar Airways has unveiled its latest, highly ambitious inflight duty free magazine.

Launched on 16 May, it features a number of talking points, innovations and exclusive products.

The striking cover features a visual for Bvlgari (fragrance and jewellery) and the luxury brand also enjoys a strong presence within the publication, courtesy of an early double page spread featuring cufflinks, keyholders and ties.

Also new, and exclusive to the airline, is Pianegonda jewellery (US$493 for a gold pendant and the same price point for gold dripping earrings).

Jewellery and watches has always been a strong suit for the Middle East carrier, a position reflected in a visually arresting 16 page section. This features new jewellery from Folli Follie and Jakk and a new jewellery launch from Thomas Sabo. New lines from Misaki, Toscow, Swatch (Florecita necklace and earrings plus the Dream Night watch), Ella Morissa, Tissot, Cerruti and Omorfia are also carried.

Also new onboard are:

- Smashbox Cosmetics
- New and exclusive Arabic fragrances
- Exclusive Sjal skincare products

The inflight magazine is the brainchild of Qatar Duty Free Assistant General Manager Krishna Kumari – and her passion for the project shines through.

She controls the range selection, the design concept, the choice of paper and printing standard. Unusually, the airline handles all design and production in-house.

In launching the new edition, management hoped it would create a new inflight benchmark in creativity and innovation. It is certainly an impressive effort. So let’s take a look through its pages:

The opening double page spread is dedicated to passenger information – credit card limits, refund policies, a pre-order notice and a contents panel.

Then it’s down to business with a series of ‘stand-alone’ spreads dedicated to Pianegonda, Bvlgari and Chopard (always a strong brand onboard Qatar Airways), followed by a single page for Montblanc and items from Tateossian and Jannat.

Then it’s into the main sections, all prefaced beautifully with a sheet of transparent art-paper on which the brands carried are listed in gold lettering.

Again, this is a classy, expensive touch – unique among the world’s airlines.

Arabic fragrances lend local flavour

New jewellery from Jakk

Fragrances occupies a remarkable 47 pages, including a host of new introductions such as La Collection Femme, j’adore and Miss Dior Cherie from Dior, Bvlgari pour Femme, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Estée Lauder Emerald Dream, Yves Saint Laurent Paris Jardins Romantiques, Rock ‘n Rose from Valentino, Burberry Summer, Escada Sunset Heat, Lancôme Miracle Forever and many others.

Cosmetics, skincare and nails is another sizable (23 pages including advertising) section. Again it features an extensive number of new additions, from the likes of Smashbox, Guerlain, Dior, Lancôme and the award-winning Pout (lip plump), Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Sjal (the celebrity cult cream, exclusive to Qatar Airways), Sovage and Freeze 24-7. Kumari is a trend watcher and the selection here is an intriguing mix of established success stories and innovations.

Impressively, a further 22 pages are dedicated to men’s fragrances and skincare followed by three pages of Arabic fragrances from Designer Shaik and Al Qurashi.

Next comes jewellery and watches, sunglasses and kids, travel accessories and souvenirs and a small liquor and tobacco selection. The book closes with a double page spread of advertising from Nokia.

This is an upscale shopping magazine/catalogue, not an inflight brochure. It’s well sign-posted, carries a diverse and always interesting range and, critically, is user friendly in terms of being able to find, price and visualize products. Another top-drawer effort from one of the industry’s best exponents of inflight selling.

Krishna Kumari: Passion for the project

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