Boosting L.A. Takes to the Friendly Skies

Looking to get out of Los Angeles? If you happen to be flying United Airlines, it may be easier said than done.

Through September, the nation’s largest air carrier will be showing a three-minute video touting Southern California’s growing high-tech industry on all flights, domestic and international, that are more than three hours long.

Part of promotional efforts by the state’s Trade and Commerce Agency and the New Los Angeles Marketing Partnership (NLAMP), the video touts the region as a hotbed of fast-growing start-ups and eager investors looking to funnel capital into promising high-tech ventures.

“We wanted to advance the notion that we are a model of what is going to come next,” said Regina Birdsell, executive director for NLAMP, which for the last four years has worked to promote Los Angeles as a hub of business innovation.

This latest installment of economic boosterism is expected to run 15,000 times through the end of the month and reach 2.5 million of United’s flying passengers, said Bob Kresser, head of El Segundo-based K2 Communications, which produced the video.

But how will it play in New York, or more specifically, New York to London?

Just fine, its promoters say.

“Are they going to learn something new about L.A.?” Birdsell said. “I think the answer is yes.”

Kresser said the video is one in a series of promotional tapes his company has produced for the Trade and Commerce Agency.

“I was looking for something new to reach business travelers,” Birdsell said. “I wanted to go beyond a 60-second spot on television and tell a richer story.”