SimpliFlying

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Lisa Markovic, Jet Airways

Jet Airways has been the shining star of the Indian aviation industry, especially in the past 5 years, since liberalization. The airline established itself as the harbinger of positive changes in the region, and currently offers one of the best service in the Indian skies, their numerous industry awards a proof of that.

A couple of years ago, Jet Airways started international operations and currently offers direct flights to key destinations in India from New York, via their hub in Brussels. However, of late, the airline has struggled with the rest of the world airlines due to fluctuating fuel prices and the economic troubles. Seeking to douse my curiosity on how Jet Airways is dealing with this, I decided to get the inside scoop by speaking with the expert.

In conversation with an industry veteran

In Part 1 of this two-part interview, Lisa Markovic, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Jet Airways in the US, talks about how work at Jet Airways is different from her 22 years at Lufthansa. She shares the unique challenges of differentiating the Jet Airways brand in the US, especially from JetBlue! She also talks about the unique marketing mix Jet Airways is aiming for in the US. When asked about the Jet Airways product and service, Lisa comments, “I’ve flown around the world on a number of airlines, but never came across anything like the product offering of Jet Airways.†I suggest you hear the rest from the lady herself.

Remember to tune in for Part 2 of this interview this Friday. Lisa will talk about how Jet Airways is tapping on “ethnic branding†in the US, planning for the future and what the Kingfisher alliance means.

Michael D'Esopo

Lippincott, a leading brand strategy and design consultancy, has worked with airlines globally, including Virgin Atlantic and most recently TACA Airlines. Lippincot helped TACA deliver a “calming trip†to their customers, the moment they stepped aboard the plane. They have also extensively helped Delta Airlines deliver a 360 degree brand experience, both internally and to the external customer.

I decided to take this opportunity to meet up with Michael D’Esopo, a senior partner at Lippincott’s Boston office, to get his perspectives on airline branding, and what makes for a truly successful airline brand. With 15 years’ experience in brand building, he revealed a number of gems, and you can view the full, uncut version of the interview right below.

Here’s a quick summary of Michael’s thoughts:

Here’s Michael D’Esopo, uncut!

So what do you think? Do you agree with Michael’s solutions for branding airlines? Let’s hear it in the comments section.

P.S: Special thanks to Kathleen Hatfield for tirelessly working to make this interview happen!

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I’ve always found Thai Airways’ new brand image to be very appealing - purple, gold, and very traditional shapes. But I never really knew what it meant and stood for. So I decided to do some digging around, and here’s what I found. This description is by an Airliners.net member, Mathias Krewedl

Hope it douses the curiosity of other Thai Airways fans. Which are some of your favorite liveries? What do you think they stand for? Let’s hear it in the comments section…

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Image via Wikipedia

Rohit Bhargava is the author of a recently released book called Personality Not Included and also the blogger of the very popular Influential Marketing Blog. Recently, when he was asked “what is one brand desperately in need of personality?”, his answer (unsurprisingly) was United Airlines. Here is what he had to say:

I couldn’t agree with Rohit more! Just look at their latest advertisements and you know that they’re trying to put lipsick on a pig. There is a huge disconnect between the picture they’re trying to paint, and the general consumer impression about the airline, which is formed by product experience, not just advertisements.

Talk is cheap!

In June, at a BrandSmart 2008 conference in Chicago, I had the opportunity to listen to and meet Dennis Cary, United’s SVP of Marketing (who’s just been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer). Though he’s an extremely talented professional, neither his speech about the latest premium passenger previlages nor his emphasis only on inter-continental First Class and Business Class resonate with the audience. Most of these audience were probably “cattle-class” domestic travelers who had to bear with long lines and long delays on the tarmac at United’s overcrowded Chicago hub. Similarly, the advertisements being aired to the average “six-pack Joe” do not resonate as well. United Airlines becoming is fast becoming one of those brands that we tend to gloss over, when we encounter any of their marketing efforts. So, what can United do?

Why is cattle class important? Because opinions matter.

Since United Airlines gets most of their revenues from premium passengers, it is probably logical to concentrate all their efforts (marketing or otherwise) on this customer segment. But what they don’t realize is that these passengers are small in numbers compared to those who travel in Economy Class. This means that more of these people are able to spread their opinions to others, and any marketer will tell you how important word-of-mouth is. So if a small number of pampered customers are keeping quiet (since they’re so busy anyway), and a large number of dis-satisfied customers are beating the drum about their experiences,  the overall result will be utterly negative. Hence, there’s a strong need for United Airlines to connect with their customers, premium or otherwise - as Rohit rightly points out. And how can they do that?

Get to know your customer, personally

United Airlines will only be able to communicate a brand image that is relevant and resonates with the customers if they understand their needs well. To do that, they need to interact with their customers, online and offline - as Rohit suggests. United doesn’t need to look to the likes of Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific to learn how to engage their customers. Right in their arena is JetBlue, which does a fantastic job of using the latest technologies to interact with their customers and engage them in a conversation.

Beyond using online social sites like Twitter and Facebook, United should also have people stationed at airport terminals to cater to customer needs. Once again, JetBlue was great at doing this by having staff stationed throughout their new Terminal 5 at JFK airport to help customers, since it’s only recently opened. Truly addressing customers’ needs exactly when they are in need would go a long way in building brand trust for United Airlines.

Employees as brand ambassadors

My only pleasant experience with United Airlines took place when I met a well-trained, fresh-on-board flight attendant. Such an experience seems to be a rarity these days, more so because of lack of training and welfare for staff, than anything else. I’ve been highlighting the importance of happy and well-trained employees often enough on this blog. When the staff if well trained, they become the ultimate spokesperson for the brand since they’re the ones who interact with the customer at every touch point - from call centers to the check-in counter. Having them believe in the brand and communicate it well can do wonders. Moreover, they can always be tapped upon for customer insights and feedback too. The essence of this lies in keeping them happy!

Rohit makes a good point that it’s “uncommon to have a brand with that much untapped potential”. I think the whole of US airline industry, with a couple of exceptions*, is full of brands with untapped potential. What do you think? Can the US airlines ever regain the former glory of the likes of PanAm? Is United really lacking a brand personality? Do you think Rohit is right? Let’s hear it in the comments section…

*I feel the couple of exceptions are Southwest, JetBlue, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines.

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Image by James Cridland via Flickr

When compared with other airlines in the region and around the world, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is by far one of the best in terms of product and service. The multitude of travel industry awards over the years is proof of this fact. But things can get contentious when SIA is compared against itself, over time and across products. Let me share a personal experience, and you be the judge.

Impeccable service, differing products

Since Singapore Airlines has converted their non-stop flight from Newark to Singapore to an all business-class configuration, I instead took their other flight from JFK to Singapore, via Frankfurt earlier this month. Upon boarding SQ26 from JFK, I wanted to charge my laptop, but realized that there were no power points in Economy on board the 747 aircraft, as was the case in my previous flights on the A340 aircraft. Moreover, the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system did not work for my whole row throughout the flight from JFK-SIN. Having only flown the Executive Economy from EWR-SIN on all my prior flights from New York to Singapore, this came as a surprise.

A week later, on my flight from Brisbane, Australia to Singapore, the IFE was not even on-demand, with no personal movie controls. Ironically, the Krisworld magazine page demonstrating the IFE functions showed the passenger how to pause and play the movies (see picture below). This caused much confusion among the passengers near me, as they kept requesting the stewardesses for help. Being SIA Girls, they helped as much as they could. The in-flight service was impeccable as usual.

The important question here is what, if any, efforts were made to set the right expectations among the passengers prior to the flight, to minimize confusion or even disappointment? Furthermore, how was the feedback gathered and acted upon?

Singapore Airlines Krisworld magazine showing an on-demand system

Setting the right expectations

To find out more, and to get a balanced picture for this article, I got in touch with SIA’s Corporate Communications folks. I shared with them my experience and had a reply within days, both from the US and Australia offices. I was pleased to see that my concerns were genuinely addressed in the response.

Regarding managing expectations on the New York to Singapore flight, here’s what I was told:

In addition to realizing that different expectations were set for the passengers by the way of differently naming the product, I felt the pain of the airline industry with regards to fleet renewal. The Boeing 747 I traveled on should have ideally been replaced by the Airbus A380, if not for the delivery delays. The Boeing 777-200 I traveled on from Brisbane will soon be replaced by the Airbus A330 aircraft. I personally can’t wait to experience the new SIA products on these planes. Here’s what the SIA folks had to say:

Taking feedback seriously and acting swiftly

It is one thing to respond to customer feedback promptly, but acting upon that feedback is just as important. This is an area SIA aced in as well.

Here’s the response I received regarding the Brisbane flight, demonstrating how swift action was taken:

When I probed further regarding feedback mechanisms, I was also told that SIA is…

I was impressed by the response, but didn’t want to take it on a face value. Hence, I scoured various aviation forums, blogs and websites trying to find some evidence that SIA indeed responds to customers whole heartedly, and I found a gem of an example. In Nov 2006, an aviation enthusiast had asked SIA the reasons for changes in their livery, and received very concise responses. Now, that is truly remarkable - to be able to dedicate resources to handle customer (or soon-to-be-customer) inquiries in the earnest.

So, is Singapore Airlines still a great way to fly?

Even though there were product differences in some of the planes, the feedback responses I’ve received as well as the best-in-class service certainly makes me want to go back to fly with SIA again. But let’s do a quick brand evaluation on SIA based on these incidences, using relevant levers from the 6X branding model.

Brand eXpectation: There was certainly an effort to set differing expectations for different products, but a slightly better job could have been done of informing passengers about the differences (after all, I probably wasn’t the only passenger surprised on that flight). Score: 8/10

Brand eXperience: SIA would get full marks for service, but the fact that the IFE system failed to work as expected would pull down the product experience points.  Score: 7/10

Brand eXpression: This relates to how well the company interacts with the customers pre and post-flight. This, as evidenced above, certainly deserves top rating. SIA has hired good Corp. Comms people, and set high standards for them to achieve. Score: 10/10

Brand eXternalities: As I realized, SIA and other airlines have to deal with externalities like the delay of new aircraft deliveries. This requires them to prepare in advance for such events, be resilient in case things go wrong, and manage customer expectations well. Here, from what I’ve learnt from the above interaction, SIA doesn’t do too badly as well. Score: 8/10

A total score of 33/40 is still very respectable, especially since we haven’t taken into account Brand eXecution and Brand X-factor - both of which SIA is likely to ace. SIA is indeed, still a great way to fly.

I’ve given my verdict. What do you think? Where is the room for improvement? What can others learn from SIA? Let’s discuss…

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Which of the first few airlines operating the Airbus A380 have come up with the best advertisements? You be the judge. Personally, I’d rate Emirates’ and Singapore Airlines’ advertisements far above Qantas’.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 advertisement

Emirates Airbus A380 advertisement

Qantas Airbus A380 advertisement

Key Flight Facts

Airline: Jet Airways
Travel purpose: Moving to Singapore to begin college studies
Departure from: Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India
Arrival at: Changi International Airport, Singapore
Date of travel: 27 July 2008
Contributor: Shitij Nigam
Flight rating: 8/10

Image courtesy Flickr user Guido Haesevoets

Check-in

The check-in was process was swift and painless, and partially so because the airport was slightly empty (morning flights not exactly being the craze). The airport staff were also familiar with my Students Pass, something I’d been worried about previously, as to whether or not it would end-up causing unnecessary delays. The Jet Airways staff at the baggage check-in counter was nice enough to ask me about my college and course (and I was nice enough to explain. In detail.)

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Cathay Pacific Aiways has come up with a brilliant initiative to allow prospective customers to experience their new cabins online. Dubbed “try before you fly”, web surfers can choose between having a male or a female guide, and then choose between the First, Business or Economy class. The best part is that they can either choose to be “shown around” by the guide, or explore the photo-realistic interiors themselves.

Try before you fly

Once a surfer is in a particular cabin, he or she can test out the different conveniences in the cabin with the click of a mouse - and these include common activities like working on a laptop and going to sleep. When doing the latter, the seats recline fully and cabin lights are dimmed. One can also walk around the plane and explore different cabins. When that’s done, one can step into the flight simulator and choose to experience landing at one of the many international airports Cathay Pacific flies to - including New York JFK and Hong Kong. As if that’s not enough, surfers can even enter a competition to win business class tickets to Hong Kong to try out their real flight simulator. How sweet is that?
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Image by Steve Crane via Flickr

Simple and sincere expectation setting can go a long way in inspiring new customers to try a new airline. Kulula.com was the first low cost carrier in South Africa, starting operations in 2001. Since the beginning, it has captured the hearts and minds of South African travelers by bringing out the authenticity of the brand and then living up to their word. Kulula means “easily” in the Zulu language and its advertisements are known for their quirky, almost slapstick-type humor, which never show an aircraft or air hostess. They focus on local flavor and humor, showcasing real people, with whom their customers can relate to.

Advertisements featuring You

TV viewers and billboard gazers have been treated to images of South Africans from all walks of life dressed up like kulula.com “fans,” complete with capes and propeller beanies, ready to take to the skies. Most of these ads feature the kinds of people who are the absolute antithesis of the jet set: the mishmash of sorts one might see waiting for a bus or shopping at Walmart. Through these, most South Africans saw an honest representation of themselves, and logged on to book tickets that were substantially cheaper than those offered by the incumbent South African Airways.  Within a year, kulula.com had become the country’s biggest online retailer and still holds the position.

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Image via Wikipedia

In service businesses like airlines, first impressions count. On my hour-long American Airlines flight last evening from Toronto to Boston, I was welcomed on-board by a cheerful flight attendant, Heather. She was genuinely pleasant (and not over-doing it) and extremely courteous, even though she was the only flight attendant on board the small Embraer jet. She played along when people were not paying close attention to the safety demonstration, and cracked jokes while serving beverages. A very pleasant experience - but that’s just one tenth of the job done for the airline when it comes to creating first impressions.

Creating lasting first impressions - a hundred million times

Air Canada’s Robert Milton mentions in his book that on average each passenger comes in contact with the airline ten times, every time he flies. This may be through the call center, website, at the check-in counter and of course, on-board the plane. So if an airline flies 10 million passengers per year, there would be a total of 100 million interactions on average! So how can airlines create a lasting first impression, every customer interaction? Here are three ways.