Frontier Airlines wants more national exposure, and hopes that hiring a public relations firm will help spread its name coast to coast.
The Denver-based carrier put the word out last week, requesting bids from firms interested in taking on duties beyond those handled by Frontier’s in-house public relations staff.
“How are we going to catapult ourselves nationally and become a national news story?” said Frontier spokesperson Joe Hodas. “This agency will hopefully help us.”
Though Frontier is well-known among travelers in Denver, outside of Colorado it is generally not a household name. A look at Frontier’s route map shows why. Aside from several routes to Mexico, all Frontier flights lead into or out of its Denver hub.
“I think our story hasn’t really penetrated nationally as much as it can,” Hodas said.
The company could consider both local and national public relations firms, although New York agencies could have advantages.
They’re “in the middle of the media” and “can be at NBC Studios in five minutes,” Hodas said. “But if it was two agencies with identical relationships, we’d choose Denver in a heartbeat.”
Frontier chose New York advertising agency Sticky Grey to develop the airline’s well-known talking animal commercials in 2002, and took some heat for the decision.
Hiring a public relations firm is “a good natural next step for Frontier as they grow,” said Tim Carroll, vice president of Schenkein, a Denver-based public relations firm.
Schenkein is Frontier’s agency of record for crisis communications. The agency previously worked for United Airlines and plans to bid on this contract. The deadline for responses is Monday.
Frontier shares closed at $7.70 Wednesday, up 55 cents, or nearly 7.7 percent.
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-820-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com.
