Europe’s leading low-cost airline easyJet have announced a new Summer reading campaign to launch ‘Flybraries’ (flying libraries) following new research that suggests that the number of children reading for pleasure is at an all-time low. This summer, easyJet will fly 750,000 families out of UK airports on their holidays. That means it has a unique opportunity to get kids hooked on a book while they’re on the plane.
Former Children’s Laureate, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, who is supporting the Flybrary campaign designed to promote literacy and encourage kids to read, has selected a range of classic children’s books to be stocked on board that encompass the spirit of travel and adventure. Seven thousand copies of children’s classics including Peter Pan, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, The Wizard Of Oz, and The Railway Children, will be made available on easyJet’s UK fleet of 147 aircraft as the new holiday reading campaign takes flight today. Kids can start reading them on the flight and then when they land download free samples of other classics to try, plus a sample of Wilson’s latest bestseller, Wave Me Goodbye, from easyjet.com/bookclub. Children will leave the books on board for the next passenger to enjoy.
The campaign is the first piece of work from easyJet’s newly appointed creative communications agency Taylor Herring. The consultancy has landed a brief to support the airline’s in-house PR and brand team with engaging and innovative activity to add value to customer experience and support key trading periods in the coming year. Agency Managing Partner James Herring will oversee the account lead by Senior Account Director Sam Corry. Taylor Herring will report to easyjet’s Head of UK PR and Communications Anna Knowles and Bill Gosbee, the airline’s Head Of Brand.
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, whose 106 children’s books have collectively sold over 40 million copies in the UK, said: “The long summer break is the ideal opportunity for children to get stuck into a great story. Books stimulate a child’s imagination and development. Reading soothes, entertains, grows vocabulary and exercises the mind and a flight is the perfect place to escape into a literary adventure. That’s why I think this campaign is such a clever match. I’ve chosen books that children might not have read, but are familiar with, maybe from film and television. I also wanted stories that would appeal equally to boys and girls.”
easyJet CEO Carolyn McCall, added: “This summer easyJet will transport three quarters of a million families from UK airports to popular holiday destinations across Europe – the largest number yet due to our range of parent-friendly initiatives to make it easier for parents and kids alike. The launch of our summer kids book club is another initiative designed to make flying with us more fun and help to get kids hooked on a book at the start of the holiday season at the same time. Our in-flight lending library means young passengers can pick up a brilliant book during their flight and then return it to the seat pocket at the end of the flight for the next customer to enjoy onboard. We think it will be popular with parents and children alike.”
The initiative follows research by easyJet who polled 2,000 British parents with children aged 8 - 12, which reveals that over 8 in 10 parents (83%) say children are reading less in comparison to when they were younger. The research reveals that kids are reading an average of three books over the course of their entire summer holidays, in contrast to an average of four books which their parents would have devoured at the same age - a drop of 25% over the course of a generation.
