Sentient Jet turns to thoroughbred racing for brand recognition

Directional aviation company Sentient Jet will return to its partnership with the Breeders' Cup, an international stage for thoroughbred racing.

Sentient Jet has returned to the cup after a three-year hiatus and will serve as the official private aviation partner for the next few years. The partnership will likely create stronger consumer relations between Sentient Jet and horse racing fans and create a platform for the aviation company to expand awareness among potential clients.

"The Breeders’ Cup has always been a wonderful partner for us and the only reason we went away was a shift in business focus," said Andrew Collins, president of Sentient Jet, Boston, MA.

"We are now very focused on the jet card business and it has been flourishing, so for us to get back with Breeders’ Cup was important because of the similar clientele or audience," he said.

"The Breeders’ Cup are wonderful at activation and for partnership, we are selective as to who we work with so their ability to work with the finer luxury brand is a critical approach of the partnership and their multi-platform approach to reach an exclusive clientele of a like-minded base of individuals."

Partnering with horses
The multi-year partnership will allow Sentient Jet and Breeders' Cup to develop media and entertainment programs that will highlight the history of horse racing locally and nationally. Also, Sentient Jet will host events at the Breeders' Cup and related venues throughout the year.

The main event is the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which consists of 13 races on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The event is in Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA, and presents a total award amount of $26 million.

Sentient Jet partnership at Breeders' Cup

NBC and NBCSN will televise the event.

Sentient Jet will be a name-in-title sponsor for the juvenile race for 2-year-old colts. The $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is a 1 and 1/16 mile race on the main track on Saturday, Nov. 1.

The private jet company will provide fans of the race customized travel programs and flight services. The participating owners of the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile will receive a special promotion from the brand and the cup.

Sentient Jet had previously partnered with the Breeders’ Cup from 2008 to 2011.

Valuable partners
Partnerships can hold value for private jet brands because of the name recognition an event may give to the brand and the relationship the brand may create with more than the event, but with the attendees of it. Being involved with an event that attracts financially similar people offers a location for new clientele gains.

Luxury private jet travel has soared in recent months due to an intersection of strong markets, shrewd partnerships and expansions by several brands.

For both business and leisure purposes, brands have responded to private jet demand with an increasing array of bespoke options. Offers geared toward introducing consumers who may be foreign to private jet travel have also become common as a way to break down barriers (see story).

For instance, private aviation company Jet Edge International is participating in the 2014 Bridgehampton polo season as the official private jet partner.

Jet Edge is teaming with Hearst’s Town & Country magazine for the opening and closing days of the season and offered its private fleets for charter by fans throughout the entire season. The VIP experience will likely create an alliance between polo fans and the brand that might carry through to future interactions (see story).

Creating a brand reputation at sporting events sparks interaction with clients and generates new and innovative solutions to gaining name recognition and consumer loyalty.

"The whole racing ecosystem, they all have flight needs that are interesting as well," Mr. Collins said. "If you think about where the races are held -- for example a race can occur in Saratoga, NY, and the next race is in San Diego, CA, the following day -- we are a very good solution for that. There is an audience solution with the Breeders’ Cup.

"The race we are sponsoring is a precursor for the horses who are going to the Triple Crown races," he said. "We think we are the premiere in what we do and this is the perfect alignment in terms of message.

“In the past when we have invited our card holders to attend this event, it sells out very quickly. From a background perspective, we invented the jet card 15 years ago and reinvented the brand two years ago; this partnership is another inflection point underscoring our continued success.”

Final Take

Nancy Buckley, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York