DM News: Boeing Uses Web to Lift Interest in New Plane

Boeing Aircraft is launching an online campaign designed to elicit input on the design for their new 7E7 aircraft to be delivered beginning in 2008. Users of AOL and AOL Time Warner sites are asked to vote on potential aircraft features.

"Many times today when people fly, they don't care what airplane they fly," said Rob Pollack, vice president of branding for Boeing. "And what we are trying to do is create some excitement in this new airplane that we are now designing, so over time people will once again ask, 'Is this a Boeing airplane?'"

A tall order but an interesting approach; to actually listen to your customer base before launching a product.