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//Correction: The article incorrectly states that this was AirAsia X’s first flight from Perth. They have been flying the route since 2008. Nevertheless, the rules of route launch marketing are still valid.
Imagine being served your in-flight meal by none other than Richard Branson – what would you do? You might ask for an autograph, or a photo with him perhaps. Then what would you do? Surely put it up on Facebook and tell your friends about it as soon as you land, isn’t it? Surely your friends would ask you where you were flying from, and on which airline? And the answer would be AirAsiaX’s launch flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur.
Starstruck by a “lady” in Red
Two and a half years ago, Richard Branson and Tony Fernandes made a bet that whoever lost in the Abu Dhabi F1 (they both own teams), would serve as a flight attendant on the other’s airline. Branson lost the bet, and despite many previous attempts being thwarted due to bad luck, Branson kept his promise and turned up in AirAsia’s siren-red uniform, cross-dressed as a woman, and served on the inaugural flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur.
Some of those who were on the plane mention how humble Branson was, shaking hands with everyone, greeting everyone politely and posing photos. Most were dumbfounded and starstruck, “like a teenager in a rock concert“.
To add more drama to the proceedings, not only did Branson serve Tony Fernandes, but also managed to spill a drink on the AirAsia CEO! Of course, he was promptly fired by Fernandes! And all of this was caught in action not just by the throng of media and journalists, but other passengers too. Azran Osman-Rani, the CEO of AirAsiaX was posting updates on Facebook throughout his journey. The AirAsia Twitter account was constantly dishing out very-“re-tweetable” tweets. Even the Virgin Atlantic website had a blog post after the event.
All of this was done to raise funds for a charity- Starlight Foundation, which both Virgin Australia and AirAsia support. They managed to raise more than $300,000 dollars. All while getting good publicity for the new route.
A+ for route launch marketing!
When an airline launches a new route, its number one goal is to drive awareness, to achieve high load-factors in the first few months of operations. The key is not just to make potential fliers aware of where they fly and at what times, but why they fly and what the brand stands for. Those with whom the brand message resonates, will automatically gravitate toward the airline.
There are a few airlines that do this well – Singapore Airlines exudes a premium, caring image. Emirates portrays luxury in the premium cabins. Lufthansa stands for reliability. Indigo and Easyjet stand for on-time performance. Turkish Airlines stands for the network. And Virgin stands for chic and different.
AirAsia is not only a strong brand in South East Asia, it has been spreading its wings in various regions lately. And hence the need to establish a strong brand presence in a new market like Perth. So that the airline stands for something beyond price. And that’s what AirAsia X did so well by having Branson on-board!
AirAsia X has shown it not only knows how to think differently about aviation marketing, but also execute it well. Nothing sums it up better than this safety memo given by Branson. Enjoy the laughs!