"[Working with SimpliFlying] has expanded our minds, opened our eyes and showed us what to do in concrete, practical, and tangible terms. We see the benefits not only to ourselves but to our members as well." - 
"SimpliFlying has a great balance - providing strategic insights and directions while maintaining a down-to-earth attitude in guiding LAN in strategy implementation. Justifying our investment to senior management was not difficult." - 
"The SimpliFlying MasterClass was a combination of trends and insights from the industry, as well as tailor-made topics designed to help Lufthansa progress to the next level of customer engagement. By having every management level participate, Lufthansa achieved great results in regards to 'social status' and loyalty, which was one of the key topics." - 
"At Estonian Air, we always look for partners who can bring innovation and good ideas, with the ability to execute. With Simpliflying, we get exactly that." - 
Virgin Atlantic Airways recently launched a new campaign that positions the experience of flying on the airline as “Airphoria.” “We’re glad you hate flying.” is how the ad begins. The text goes on to explain, “Because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t care that our entire reason for being is to do things differently.” The copy then touts Virgin’s fully flat beds, always-open onboard bars and Heathrow’s Revivals lounge. “It’s simple,” the ad concludes. “Turning people who hate flying into people who love flying with Virgin Atlantic kind of turns us on.”
I recently had the chance to interview Virgin Atlantic’s VP of Marketing for North America, Jim Mezoff. He shared his thoughts on the Airphoria campaign, and what the future looks like for one of the most admired long-haul carriers in the world, including their plans for a branding extravaganza on their 75th anniversary.
Here is Jim Mezoff for you, uncut.
Shashank Nigam
CEO at SimpliFlying
Shashank Nigam is the CEO of SimpliFlying and a globally sought-after consultant, speaker and thought-leader on airline branding and customer engagement strategy. He is also the youngest winner of the Global Brand Leadership Award and has addressed senior aviation executives globally, from Chile to Canada and from Sydney to San Francisco.
Shashank's perspectives have found their way into major media outlets, including CNN Travel, CNBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg UTV, Mashable and in leading publications like Airline Business, ATW, Aviation Week, and others.
Shashank studied Information Systems Management and Business Management at Singapore Management University and Carnegie Mellon University. Hailing from India, he splits his time between Singapore and Vancouver, among other cities.
Latest posts by Shashank Nigam (see all)
- Want your new route to make headlines? Bring Richard Branson on-board, like AirAsia X did in Perth! - May 14, 2013
- Influencer marketing comes of age in aviation – American Airlines Klout and Eindhoven Airport Facebook VIP in focus - May 9, 2013
- What does SimpliFlying stand for? Thinking Differently about aviation marketing (and lessons from Simon Sinek) - May 1, 2013
