Biman will go for TV commercials to woo more local, int\\\'l passengers

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is going to air international television commercials after more than three decades in a bid to attract more passengers and for shining it as a unique brand.
The national flag carrier has initially decided to produce two television commercials to air on local and international media, an official of Biman told the FE.
General Manager (Public Relations) of Biman Khan Musharraf Hussein told the FE that they have already floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) for making two television commercials and the last date for submission of tender documents is July 31.
"The commercials will be aired regularly on televisions and other electronic media at home and abroad which will help positioning Biman as a unique brand in the minds of customers," he said.
Mr Khan said the theme of the commercials would be 'Inextricably Intertwined' and 'The Legendary Care in the Air'.
Sources said the Biman broadcasted its last television commercial in the late 1980s. However, the initiative remained stopped in the last three decades for unknown reasons.
A Biman official said though almost all airlines air such kinds of commercials to shine their brand and attract more passengers, the Biman authorities walked back from this step.
"Every airliner has specific budget for branding and marketing policy. But, the Biman is lagging behind from such kind of initiative," he said.
With other inefficiency of the Biman authorities, the poor marketing put the airlines in a dire state and made it a loss- making entity, he said.  
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon recently said in Parliament Biman incurred a loss of around Tk 5.94 billion in fiscal 2011-12 and Tk 1.91 billion in fiscal 2012-13.