Scott Jordan figures he did so well selling his product in SkyMall, he'd like to buy SkyMall.
Jordan, the CEO of SCOTTeVEST, the multi-pocketed travel clothing company, announced exclusively on LinkedIn that he plans to save SkyMall, the ubiquitous retail catalog of funky products found in the seat-back pockets of almost every commercial airplane in the U.S. SkyMall went bankrupt last month.
"I am going to get SkyMall back into the air," Jordan wrote in a first-person exclusive on LinkedIn.
Jordan quipped that he was keeping most of the details close to the vest, but disclosed partial plans to not only bring back the printed catalog with a mix of compelling editorial mixed in with the product features, but to also introduce a digital component.
"While the "social sharing" of SkyMall's content was limited to just exposing your travelling companion yet another outrageous product, the content was always entertaining," Jordan wrote. "We will dial up that entertainment aspect of SkyMall by embracing it as a source of creative content. Think J. Peterman creative. Or Patagonia creative. It's a sophisticated version of entertainment and fun. We will use the travel experience as a metaphor to drive our product selection, copywriting and imagery to create a highly entertaining inflight shopping experience."
Jordan said the digital platform will be free and available on smartphones, tablets and computers. To push the editorial agenda, he is teaming with former PC Magazine editor-in-chief Jim Louderback to develop content.
SkyMall will most likely start out as a quarterly, he wrote, with several versions of the catalog printed concurrently. Travelers on a round trip journey may see a different version of SkyMall on each leg, with at least 25 percent new content in every new version. Jordan also plans on rebuilding relationships with airlines - he could not disclose any details - and said the products offered in a new SkyMall will be "clever, but not kitschy. Think: gadgets and travel aids… not alien butler statues or dragon bookends. However, we'll still find the most fascinating and unexpected products that will both fire your imagination - and your sharing impulse."
The deadline for bidders for the bankrupt SkyMall is approaching, and Jordan said he is confident in his plan.
"The fact that it will be highly profitable from the first issue makes me even more excited to jump through the remaining hoops and kick development into high gear," he wrote.
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