How Sequel reached healthcare professionals at 30,000 feet

Sequel develops technology for people living with diabetes and recently introduced a new automated insulin delivery system under the brand name twiist. As a relatively new entrant, the company needed to build awareness quickly in a market dominated by established players.

The annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association presented a unique opportunity. More than 11,000 physicians, researchers and healthcare professionals attend the event each year, making it the largest conference in the field. But that also means dozens of brands compete for the same audience's attention.

Sequel therefore looked for a different way to connect with potential customers, explains VP Marketing Chris Gilbert. "As a new company with a new product in a crowded market, we were looking for a way to break through the noise, build awareness and generate leads for future campaigns at the same time."

Most event marketing campaigns focus on attendees once they arrive at the venue. Sequel decided to engage them earlier in the customer journey.

Working with Viasat Ads, the company launched a campaign targeting flights headed to the conference destination. Passengers received complimentary in-flight Wi-Fi in exchange for watching a short video about twiist.

That is exactly what makes in-flight advertising interesting for marketers. The aircraft cabin offers something that has become increasingly rare in digital media: attention. Travelers have time, fewer distractions, and are often already in the right mindset for the purpose of their trip.

For brands targeting event attendees, conference visitors or specific business audiences, this creates an opportunity to connect with people at a moment when competitors are often absent.

The strength of in-flight advertising lies not only in attention, but also in context.

While many digital campaigns rely on behavioral targeting, cookies, or broad audience segments, in-flight advertising uses information directly related to the journey itself. Think destination, route, flight type, or travel purpose.

This allows marketers to create more relevant campaigns without relying on personally identifiable information.

For Sequel, that meant reaching people who were genuinely on their way to the conference where the brand would be present. The message felt less like a random advertisement and more like a natural extension of the travel experience itself.

The campaign delivered remarkable results.

Nine out of ten passengers interacted with the advertisement. Even more impressively, 99 percent of travelers watched the video through to completion. Metrics many marketers can only dream of.

The campaign also generated additional traffic to both digital and physical activations during the conference itself. The in-flight touchpoint strengthened the broader marketing strategy surrounding the event.

Of course, not every campaign will achieve results like these. But the case clearly demonstrates what can happen when audience, timing and context align.

In-flight advertising is often associated with travel brands, tourism companies and airlines. Cases like Sequel’s show that its applications extend far beyond the travel industry.

For B2B marketers, event organizers, technology companies and brands targeting niche audiences, the aircraft cabin can become a valuable extension of existing marketing efforts.

Another advantage is that in-flight advertising is now just as measurable as many other digital channels.

Through an online dashboard, advertisers gain access to campaign performance data in near real time. Metrics such as impressions, views, clicks, interactions and delivery progress are available at a glance.

This enables marketers not only to monitor results, but also to optimize campaigns while they are running. Which message performs best? Which audience responds most strongly? Which routes generate the highest engagement?

These insights transform in-flight advertising from a one-off media placement into a channel where brands can continuously test, learn, and improve.