On 22nd February, 2011, Christchurch – home to hundreds of thousands of people – was struck by a devastating earthquake. It was one of worst disasters ever in New Zealand.

Much of the central city with its classic neo-gothic architecture was destroyed. 1200 commercial buildings in the CBD, 75% of all hotels and the bustling convention centre – a hub for international events – completely wiped out! 

The buildings may have been damaged but the soul of the city and the welcoming spirit of the people remains very much intact. A recent wellbeing survey conducted by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority reported three quarters of residents say life is good or extremely good.  76 per cent had experienced pride in the ability to cope under difficult circumstances; 69 per cent experienced increased resilience as a family; 68 per cent had a renewed appreciation of life and 67 per cent experienced a heightened sense of community.

Two years on from that devastating earthquake, I had the pleasure to speak with Jim Boult, CEO of Christchurch International Airport, ahead of his visit to Mumbai for Routes Asia. Moved by his infectious positivity and the stimulating social media projects at CHC, I’d like to share a selection of our conversation. 

Of course it is only natural to take a look over the shoulder before moving ahead, so when discussing the overall customer engagement strategy, I asked Jim about the effectiveness of social media during the crisis period. “Our social media activity paid dividends during the earthquakes and other natural events which impacted the airport and the city (snow, fog and volcanic ash cloud)” advised Jim. “At those times, we used our presence on Facebook, Twitter and our website to share all updated information. We sent media updates ahead of each hourly bulletin and also directed them to our website” – a habit they have now maintained for on-going airport information. 

“The social media aspect of our marketing strategy has, over the past three years, been predominantly focused on the new terminal development and a continued focus on the terminal services and facilities”. 

New Zealand’s South Island gateway offers a first class experience

The completion and official opening of the new terminal building will undoubtedly attract significant interest and Christchurch will use all their channels and tools to inform people about it, as they have done throughout, as change has occurred. With large passenger lounges, extra seating, improved passenger flows and enhanced retail and cafe areas, the new terminal will offer a ‘first class airport experience’. 

The plan was designed to improve the airport experience and ensure Christchurch Airport remains the preferred gateway to the South Island. It’s important to remember 85% of all international arrivals into the South Island arrive into Christchurch and research shows these visitors tend to stay longer and spend more, which is good for the whole country.

Jim advised that passenger numbers through the airport are lower at the moment than they were pre-earthquakes, during which time Christchurch lost its Convention Centre and many of the facilities which used to host major national and international events in the city. “We believe the passengers will return in greater numbers when the facilities they need are back in place, but the other trend we are seeing and readying for is the influx of migrant workers, taking advantage of the employment market associated with the rebuild”. Not surprising, as the projected rebuild costs are expected to surpass $40 B (NZD). 

Engaging with customers is the key focus

“We continue to use our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pictagram, Instagram, YouTube, with more underway) to make people aware of what is going on at Christchurch Airport”.

An increasingly connected world has enabled us to learn more about the connected traveller, gain insights and study behaviour like never before. According to Boult the social media objectives remain to increase a following, user interest and interaction with the many people interested in the airport. For Jim and the team at CHC, customer experience and customer insight continue to be key focus.
Looking ahead, CHC are working on several items and initiatives and hope to add a responsive design website to their methods of engaging with ’interested people’, so be sure to follow and support their progress – @CHC_Airport. 

Christchurch now sits at the top of my ‘to-visit’ list. How many other destinations in the world have skiing, golf, bungy jumping , white-water rafting, mountain biking, wind surfing, whale watching and world –class vineyards all within 2 hours of an international airport. 

Jim has the ability to look beyond the “now” and formulate strategies for future success. There are magnificent times ahead for Christchurch and I for one will be following closely the actions of this passionate and creative team as they continue to generate a real buzz – both online and offline. 

If you would like to tell us more about how your airport’s marketing strategies are evolving for a new, connected future, do write to us at airports@simpliflying.com. You can also learn more about the state of airport marketing on social media by checking out our Videographic: Social Media Outlook for Airports 2013.

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David McMullen

VP, Airports at SimpliFlying

David McMullen leads global airport engagement projects for SimpliFlying as VP, Airports. Following 5 successful years leading the award winning Routesonline platform, working with airports of all sizes in route development strategy and marketing communications, he joined SimpliFlying at the beginning of 2013. Assisting hundreds of airports to develop their online presence, David's career has taken him all over the world and he has been lucky enough to meet some of the most amazing people and work in some of the most inspiring places. He has a real enthusiasm for social networking/social media, plus all things digital. His passion for sport, travel and learning about new cultures has enabled him to practice snowboarding throughout Europe and qualify as an advanced scuba diver on the Great Barrier Reef. You can connect with David on Twitter, @SimpliMcMullen, or on LinkedIn.

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You don’t need to be a fan or a follower to benefit from social media at Gatwick Airport

How many industries have their customers passing through their facilities – some for up to several hours – multiple times a year?  Airports more than most businesses, hold a unique opportunity to engage the offline passenger with the online social media experience. According to Mandie Armstrong, Digital Communications Manager at Gatwick Airport, “this is a unique opportunity to connect people to your brand for two-way conversation, whether they’re on social media yet or not”.

It’s all about customer experience for Gatwick

Already the winner of our Best Airport in Social Media award in 2011, and a runner up in 2012, when asked about the social media strategy at Gatwick, Mandie refreshingly replied – “actually it’s really simple – it’s directly linked to the overall business ambitions and strategy of the airport. And 3 of the 6 overall business goals are directly linked to social media”.

Engaging instantly and directly with their customers in a way and time that is convenient for them (the customer), has allowed Gatwick to communicate the new ‘brand Gatwick’, with an intentional and distinct tone of voice.

Speaking exclusively to SimpliFlying during our recent ACI Europe Digital Marketing workshop, Mandie spoke of how social media is intrinsically linked to their overall business goals. Actually, 3 of the 6 overall business goals are directly linked to social media as Gatwick aims to deliver the best possible PAX experience, driving efforts to assist it’s airlines to grow whilst protecting and enhancing its reputation, to compete and grow and become ‘London’s airport of choice!’

Driven by instinct, supported by execution

For the vast majority of airports Social media tends to be driven by instinct and by what tends to ‘feel right’. But with a better planning process and a strategy aligned towards business goals, the quality of customer engagement using social media can be immediately elevated and the opportunities are sky-high.

Having dedicated full time staff and using external support to ensure that they are always up to speed with the ever changing marketplace, has delivered much success. With 7 awards for social media excellence, Mandie and the team at Gatwick have done a brilliant job.  Gatwick’s social feeds are live on their website, highly visible on FIDS throughout the airport and driving offline marketing campaigns throughout the terminal. So the online drives that are seeing great results are also being delivered to the offline passenger travelling through the airport.

Gatwick is becoming an expert on linking something that’s psychically taking place in the airport to activities on social media, using various channels.  Partnering with the new Jamie Oliver restaurant saw both passengers and potential passengers (through roving ’Social Reporter’ filming live) captivated with live cooking events and even hooked the attention of the naked chef Jamie himself, as Jamie Oliver offered his continued support and RT’s -  nice one @JamieOliver (I’m a big fan!).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Online activities are supporting commercial activities to promote new facilities and energise non-aeronautical revenues.  2-way conversations with the ever ‘Connected Traveler’, extending customer service support has the full backing of the wider Gatwick business. Even in the last few months, there has been notable internal change in attitude to social media – particularly in crisis situations.

During the recent heavy snow fall, handling agents worked closely with their communications team. The Twitter conversations provided information before the terminal teams were aware. Issues were addressed straight away and social advocacy from the 57k followers went up a notch, instead of a surge of complaints it was ‘well done @Gatwick_Airport team’.

Mandie’s  advice for airports new to social media is, “Don’t be afraid. Social media is about being innovative and trying new things”. She added, “The new Gatwick brand is now 3 years old, so still a really young brand. Digital media has been the best way of telling our passengers about the changing faces and values of Gatwick Airport”.

Check out the video interview to hear more about their multi-platform efforts from Gatwick’s award winning digital communications manager. 

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David McMullen

VP, Airports at SimpliFlying

David McMullen leads global airport engagement projects for SimpliFlying as VP, Airports. Following 5 successful years leading the award winning Routesonline platform, working with airports of all sizes in route development strategy and marketing communications, he joined SimpliFlying at the beginning of 2013. Assisting hundreds of airports to develop their online presence, David's career has taken him all over the world and he has been lucky enough to meet some of the most amazing people and work in some of the most inspiring places. He has a real enthusiasm for social networking/social media, plus all things digital. His passion for sport, travel and learning about new cultures has enabled him to practice snowboarding throughout Europe and qualify as an advanced scuba diver on the Great Barrier Reef. You can connect with David on Twitter, @SimpliMcMullen, or on LinkedIn.

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Finnair had a hugely successful Quality Hunters program that ran for two seasons. What’s the next big thing?

Finnair, despite being a relatively small national airline as compared to the likes of its Oneworld partners Qantas and Malaysia Airlines, is big online, especially among travelers. Its award-winning marketing initiative, Quality Hunters, was hugely successful, And spanned two seasons. Beyond these feats, how does Finnair plan to continue pushing the boundary to delight its travelers?

Not just another social in-flight experience

An interview with Jarkko Konttinen, Vice President of Global Brand and Marketing Communications at Finnair, reveals that Finnair is planning to deeply integrate social media with the inflight experience. 

We’ve seen similar moves towards social media from a handful of airlines including Malaysia Airlines and KLM. Finnair seems to be approaching it from a different angle – ‘social’ collaboration. 

According to Jarkko, passengers will be able to interact with others onboard to collaborate for things such as sharing taxis. A small act, but a thoroughly thoughtful one, I must say. I can’t recall how many times I wished I knew who in the taxi queue was heading for the same destination, so that we could share the cost for a cab. Plus, unlike on a flight, I won’t mind chatting up new people on the short taxi ride and potentially finding a coffee buddy in the same area. 

In addition to ‘social’ collaboration, Finnair is also looking into providing a complete ‘social’ experience with 

• Social check-in services
• The feature to see the profiles of people sitting next to you.

To up the game, passengers can also look forward to in-flight wi-fi soon with the aircraft that are coming in later this year. 

Hear it from Jarrko himself!

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Start -  01:26:  Jarrko shares his thoughts on Quality Hunters 1 and 2; how Finnair received 6000 applications, and achieved 10 million tweets in the program
• 01:28 – 02:15:  On Finnair’s marketing goals, with emphasis on integrating social media into the inflight experience with space for both passenger interaction and collaboration
• 02:16 – End:  Finnair is currently running tests and expects to roll out aircraft with inflight wifi connectivity later this year

Finnair sure has much up its sleeve to deliver an impeccable customer experience with the upcoming plans, and not to forget, its already popular presence online – more than 181k fans on Facebook and 8k on Twitter.

If your airline is keen to extend your reach to engage the Connected Travelers like Finnair is doing, please feel free to drop us a line at letstalk@simpliflying.com to find out about our consulting expertise and in-house MasterClasses.

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Li Guen

Li Guen heads the communications and marketing functions at SimpliFlying where she drives corporate branding efforts and industry research initiatives. A PR enthusiast, Li Guen returned to SimpliFlying after a stint with Weber Shandwick working with clients including Rolls-Royce, Changi Airport Group and P&G. In her free time, Li Guen likes trekking mountains in Asia. You can tweet her at @SimpliGuen or email her at guen@simpliflying.com.

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On 12 FEB, we were invited to present an introduction to our ‘Masterclass for Airports’ at ACI Europe Head Office in Brussels. The morning of the Digital Communications Workshop, hosted by Robert O’Meara of ACI Europe with 24 European airports in attendance, was filled with exciting insights from some of Europe’s airports who are carving the way with social media. Others were there merely to soak up as much information as possible before taking their new insights forward into 2013.

One of the key personalities in Brussels was Paul O’Kane of Dublin Airport Authority, a free-speaking, self-professed ‘lapsed journalist’ who is now using that sensibility in the world of airport communications. Paul recalls his first encounters with Twitter using a PC as ‘kind of pointless’ – that was until he got a smartphone and realised its true potential. 

‘Finding our feet’ and the battle with Twitter….

Dublin airport handles around 75% of all passenger traffic into Ireland and following the recent Moodie awards, also has the title of ‘Best Airport Twitter Feed’ to add to its accolades. It’s clear from meeting Paul why @DublinAirport has achieved so much, so quickly! 

“If something doesn’t work, it’s not necessarily your fault – just move on and try something else”, says the straight talking Irishman. 

Dublin Airport was born on Twitter on 17^th August 2010, after months of convincing Twitter management to hand over the official airport handles from squatters. Frustrated by the number of airport handles that have false residents (squatters), O’Kane recommends that airports should not be content with just any account name on social media, and have every right the fight for the official handle. A fight that took Dublin Airport four months! 

Soon after, on 21^st October that year, @DublinAirport posted its first tweet, once strategy had been aligned and months had been spent reviewing the business goals they wanted to drive from social media activity. Like many airports in 2010, Dublin found their feet in a crisis. During the heavy snow of winter 2010, it became the way of communicating with the masses of passengers, needing regular updates and information. O’Kane shares more in his video interview with SimpliFlying below. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thought leadership and the need for involvement at every level

Dublin’s early efforts were not making any real waves. It wasn’t until a light-bulb moment at a children’s birthday party, where O’Kane spent most of the time on twitter sharing the latest updates from the Irish elections with all the eager parents. 

He realised in that moment that Twitter will replace traditional media, and there will no longer be a need to watch the 6 o’clock news.  “People in Ireland want to turn to us (Dublin Airport) about tourism. So, it’s about telling stories – helping passengers, but mainly telling stories”. 

“Tone is crucial. It’s not about talking, but how you talk. And, if you don’t have a strategy – it’s just talking”. 

Asked about the seniority of engagement required, O’Kane fundamentally agrees that someone of his level within the business has to be involved – it’s far too important not to have involvement at the very top. 

With 18,000 likes on Facebook after just 6 months, and an engagement level of 32%, it’s not surprising that DUB is already winning awards. The team is growing with 2 new members of staff for social customer service – a true sign of Dublin’s commitment to their consumers. The presentation below outlines Dublin Airport’s social media strategy, as shared in Brussels. 

Lessons from Dublin

Paul had this advice for the rest of airports on social media, “There are two types of aviation people in the world – those who’ve got social media, and those who are about to get it”. 

The post [Interview] How Dublin Airport is re-thinking PR and marketing with social media – Paul O’Kane speaks his mind appeared first on SimpliFlying.

Author information

David McMullen

VP, Airports at SimpliFlying

David McMullen leads global airport engagement projects for SimpliFlying as VP, Airports. Following 5 successful years leading the award winning Routesonline platform, working with airports of all sizes in route development strategy and marketing communications, he joined SimpliFlying at the beginning of 2013. Assisting hundreds of airports to develop their online presence, David's career has taken him all over the world and he has been lucky enough to meet some of the most amazing people and work in some of the most inspiring places. He has a real enthusiasm for social networking/social media, plus all things digital. His passion for sport, travel and learning about new cultures has enabled him to practice snowboarding throughout Europe and qualify as an advanced scuba diver on the Great Barrier Reef. You can connect with David on Twitter, @SimpliMcMullen, or on LinkedIn.

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Editor’s Note: This interview article featuring CEO of SimpliFlying, Shashank Nigam, was published in Routes News (November/ December Issue). For a soft copy of the original article, please see here. 

ONLINE WITH:
Social media expert and CEO of consulting firm SimpliFlying, Shashank Nigam, gives his tips for how airlines and airports can improve their social media presence.

Is aviation at the forefront of social
 media engagement?

The nature of aviation forces it to be at the forefront of social media engagement. Most travellers’ brand engagement with an airline lasts between two to 20 hours – compared to about 90 minutes for Starbucks, and 10 minutes for Coke! And, there are often over 30 touch-points in this engagement, from booking to travel. Each is an opportunity for the airline to gain a customer for life, or lose one.

The airline industry has a slight edge in social media to begin with because the nature of the service it sells has always been transacted online, compared to FMCG goods that are often sold in brick and mortar stores. So the selling of airline tickets blended with social media usually comes quite seamlessly. And, this ensures that the airline industry is constantly innovating and leading the forefront of social media engagement.

For example, the concept of ‘social seating’ as seen in KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ Meet & Seat, Malaysia Airlines’ MHBuddy and airBaltic’s Seatbuddy makes a mundane purchase experience more interesting by providing its passengers the option to choose a seat next to friends they may know on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Can social media make airlines money?

It certainly can. Canada’s WestJet, the winner of this year’s SimpliFlying award for driving revenue through social media, drove $1.3 million in incremental revenue when a video they released on April Fool’s day went viral. It was accompanied by a 10% discount code.

In ‘The Connected Traveler Lifecycle’, developed by SimpliFlying, a connected traveller goes through four stages: he dreams of a trip, plans the trip, books the trip and finally travels on the trip. At each stage, he can influence his friends by sharing information on his social networks, thereby amplifying the potential contribution to an airline’s bottom line.

In an example cited earlier, KLM, airBaltic and Malaysia Airlines have developed social booking and social seating as their latest, cutting-edge ancillary products. Passengers can pay a fee to sit next to a Facebook or LinkedIn friend. This is one of the many ways airlines can increase their revenues substantially through ancillary means enabled by social media.

Can social media play a role in airline route development?

In SimpliFlying’s recent Airline Social Media Outlook 2012, we found out that over 65% of the airlines surveyed use social media metrics for new product or route development. Unlike the traditional model of paying for focus groups or buying customer data, airlines are now obtaining insights through their own social media network presence. This method is not only cost- effective, it is more customised and specific to each airline.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines recently became the first airline to crowd-source a new route via Facebook – they asked their fans where they’d like to fly in the summer. And Alanya, Turkey was launched after it was the most voted destination.

Volaris, a leading Mexican LCC, is very good at launching new routes through social media. They drive buzz and engagement through social media, often involving their passengers. From Facebook sales alone they’ve had revenues amounting to $2 million Mexican Pesos on a monthly basis.

How closely should a social media account reflect an airline’s brand?

A social media account should reflect the airline’s brand personality as close as possible. There are now over 200 airlines on social media. To stand out from this crowd, the airline needs to have a strong and distinct brand voice that the target audience can relate to. As such, the staff in charge of the social media account needs to reflect the true brand voice when dealing with posts on social media.

The post Online with Shashank Nigam (Featured in Routes News) appeared first on SimpliFlying.

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Li Guen

Li Guen heads the communications and marketing functions at SimpliFlying where she drives corporate branding efforts and industry research initiatives. A PR enthusiast, Li Guen returned to SimpliFlying after a stint with Weber Shandwick working with clients including Rolls-Royce, Changi Airport Group and P&G. In her free time, Li Guen likes trekking mountains in Asia. You can tweet her at @SimpliGuen or email her at guen@simpliflying.com.

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Editor’s note: Recently, Royal Brunei Airlines unveiled a new livery on their aircraft, which received a passionate reaction from aviation enthusiasts and travelers the world over. But the new livery is just one aspect of a well-thought re-branding strategy for the airline.

Global brand consultancy, Interbrand, was hired to lead this process and in this guest article, Anne Donohoe, a Director at the company and the strategy lead for Royal Brunei, takes us behind the scenes of this re-branding process.

With the launch of their new brand this month, Royal Brunei Airlines is redefining the way they think about flying.

The last two years have been a time of restructuring for RBA – building a solid foundation with the right people, routes, fleet, and technology. In April 2012 RBA hired Interbrand, a global brand consultancy, to create a brand identity that would help position them in a highly competitive industry.

Reflecting Brunei’s culture

Upon meeting the people at Royal Brunei we quickly realized this is a special brand. You can’t help but be charmed (and a little envious), by how Bruneians view life. In a fast moving world, one with conspicuous materialism, they truly believe the most special moments in life are the simplest. They believe in the magic of a genuine smile, the delight in unexpected acts of kindness, faith and the importance of spending time with family. These timeless values are at the heart of who RBA is as an airline.

The airline industry is filled with airlines positioning themselves based on rock bottom prices, quality service, or the latest technology – jostling for leadership in the “LCC” or “Premium” race. What has been forgotten is that travel is ultimately about real people, not load factors or hash tags, who want a great experience. Happiness is just as much about the journey, as the destination. It is with this philosophy in mind that Royal Brunei embarked on its journey of redefining the flying experience.

The Unveiling

Non-branded teaser campaigns began mid October in Brunei, with advertising supported by friendly RBA staff going undercover as the “Smile Squad”. They handed out chocolates, balloons and smiles while reminding curious bystanders to stay true to their values and enjoy the small pleasures in life.  Great buzz was created on Facebook and Instagram leading up to the big reveal.

On October 30^th Royal Brunei revealed the new brand proposition of “Simple Pleasures”. A promise to truly delight everyone they meet, through genuine welcomes, thoughtful yet unexpected gestures and unique Bruneian touches. A promise to help people from around the world rediscover timeless values. 

With over 700 staff and VIPs watching, a freshly painted Airbus A319 pulled into the airport hangar, showing off the new livery and logo. The classic design, including the new RB monogram, expresses the simplicity and timelessness of the brand promise. Staff were truly delighted with the livery, with emotions running high in the audience.

As part of this journey, Royal Brunei is now working on creating a distinctive experience at the most important touch-points such as in-flight entertainment, ground service and online interactions, including social media. Staff are engaged at all levels, creating a sense of excitement and optimism. New experiences will be rolled out over the next year, with the launch of the first 787 Boeing Dreamliner in South East Asia as the key highlight.

Great brands evoke emotion. They have the power to touch us. I am excited to see Royal Brunei share its magic with the world. An airline that stays true to its values and creates simple yet special moments is truly delightful.

Full Disclosure: Royal Brunei is a valued SimpliFlying client (see Press Release).

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SimpliFlying

At SimpliFlying, in everything we do, we believe in thinking differently about aviation marketing. Having worked with over 30 airlines and airports across 5 continents, we understand the intersection of aviation and marketing better than anyone else. We have the most experience. The most clients. The most success.

SimpliFlying.com is one of the Top 2 blogs on aviation, and the Twitter handle (@simpliflying) is one of the Top 5 most influential on airlines, with over 12,000 followers. If you're keen to tap our expertise, email us at helpmesoar@simpliflying.com

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As most airlines struggle to figure out their mobile and social engagement strategies, there’s one that is doing a stellar job at both! And an unlikely one at that. Japan Airlines, which declared bankruptcy 18 months ago seems like an unlikely candidate for an airline that engages travelers openly amid brand revival, throughout the traveler lifecycle. And that’s exactly what they have done.

At the recent Aviation Outlook Summit Asia, in Singapore, I had a chance to catch up with Tomohira Nishihata, the VP for Web Sales and Marketing at Japan Airlines. In an interview with SimpliFlying, he shared that an astonishing 10 mobile applications (apps) have been launched just in this year alone! And while there are ten individual apps, they are all interconnected – so some features from one app can be accessed on another, and this would drive downloads of the related app as well.

On social media, Japan Airlines has a team of ten dedicated staff driving brand engagement and customer service. They’ve added over 700,000 fans on Facebook alone in the last 18 months, and have recently been named the most engaged brand on Facebook in Japan!

Surely, such open communication with “the cult” during, before and after the journey is a critical feature of the brand revival for Japan Airlines. Tomohira-san shares more insights in his video interview below and here is a recap:

1. How Japan Airlines released the world’s first mobile booking engine in 1999 [00:50]
2. Why Japan Airlines launched 10 new mobile apps in 2012, targeting the whole customer lifecyle [01:40]
   1. Driving 10% look-to-book ration on the latest mobile booking app [02:10]
   2. Mobile boarding pass and more [02:40]
   3. How Augmented Reality apps help navigation at Haneda Airport [03:15]
   4. Location based destination discount coupons app for Okinawa [03:40]
   5. Managing flight schedules in sync with Google Calendar on your mobile [04:25]
   6. Spot the 787 Dreamliner app [04:40]
3. Turning around brand sentiment using social media [05:55]
4. Getting to 700,000 fans on Facebook in Japan [06:40]
5. Achieving the highest Engagement ration in Japan on social media [07:20]
6. Brand re-building as the key goal to be achieved through social media [08:10]

So while most airline brands debate whether to launch an iPhone app or one for Android, or a mobile website, Japan Airlines has launched over 10! And while airlines debate the ROI of social media, the airline is engaging actively with 700,000 fans online. And that’s the way forward with the connected traveler – try new things. Make small bets. Some will fail, but you’ll gain trust and build a strong relationship with the customers.

Here’s Tomohira-san sharing his insights. Enjoy the interview!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Photo Credit: Airlinereporter.com

The post [Interview] How Japan Airlines revived its brand by launching 10 mobile apps and engaging heavily in social media appeared first on SimpliFlying.

Author information

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.

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Editor’s Note: About 18 months ago, I had the opportunity to visit Virgin America’s HQ in San Francisco and got the whim that they were evaluating Salesforce.com as their CRM system. Then last year, I saw the same system in action at KLM, being used to manage social media relationships. 

In this guest post, airlinetrends.com Founder, Raymond Kollau, delves deep into what the system offers and how it taps on the “walled garden” effect. Raymond spends his day monitoring the global aviation industry for commercial innovations in response to changing consumer behaviour. Airlinetrends.com also partners with SimpliFlying to produce a monthly airline marketing benchmark report.

How it works

Virgin America, probably the most tech-savvy airline in the industry, plans to revolutionise its approach to customer service. A Salesforce.com-based CRM dashboard provides Virgin America customer service agents with information about each customer’s last three interactions on social media and their flight history, which allows them to send a targeted message.

For example, a customer tweeting about being worried about missing a flight will be served up a response via Chatter on the screen in front of their seat with information on how they can make their next connection. Customer service personnel on the ground could also take pro-active action to alert a passenger to a potential problem, such as a bag not having made it on the flight, through a pop-up alert on the screen.

Passengers, meanwhile, will find a personalized environment on their IFE system. For example, Virgin America is looking to not just give passengers details about their frequent flyer points, but also suggest entertainment and food & beverage choices on what they have watched before or eaten on previous trips, as well as airport maps of where they go to make connecting flights. The system also gives all passengers brief profiles on other passengers as a conversation starter for the seat-to-seat chat function.

Furthermore, passengers can contact Virgin America’s customer service staff via the IFE system to ask if they have been upgraded on the next leg of their travel and get quick feedback. When watching a movie, the IFE screen will signal passengers that they have received a notification from the airline.

A video of the new Chatter features is available here, while this video (start at 6min45) includes a mockup of the seat-back app currently in development.

Abby Lunardini, the Head of Corporate Communications at Virgin America shared exclusively with SimpliFlying, “Chatter will be launched later this year as a teammate communications tool, which will help bring behind-the-scenes communication among our staff into real-time – ultimately resulting in a better experience for guests. For example our operations, social media, guest care and other staff – down to an airport guest service teammate at a particular gate, will be in faster contact about a particular situation or guest issue.  The video shown at Salesforce was conceptualizing how layering on CRM tools like Chatter through other mediums like Red could ultimately work — but right now that is still a ‘wish list’ and something in the early concept phase.”

Real-time customer service, up in the air

Virgin America calls its new Chatter functionality an example of contextual computing. The airline shows that it knows who passengers are, where they are seated, what they need right now and what they may need next.

The objective is to get customers more involved with the Virgin America brand through increased social activity and in the process change the nature of how customer service is delivered. Says CEO David Cush, “Before it was ‘this happened to me what are you going to do about it?’. Now it’s ‘this is happening to me, what are you going to do about it?’ These are real-time problems that need real-time answers. I will tell you the best way to get a response is through social media, not traditional customer service.”

Employee social network

Virgin America also wants to use Chatter to revolutionise internal communications as it looks to break down silos in what traditionally has been a hierarchical industry.

“Traditionally, airlines have been egalitarian, chain-of-command environments,” said Cush. “Running an airline is a logistical nightmare where about 20 steps have to go right to get a passenger and their bag to the final destination, and better collaboration might allow workers to bypass some of those steps when necessary and jump straight to a solution.”

For example, customer service agents, recognizing that a high-value customer might be in danger of missing a tight connection, relay an alert ahead to airport staff with a custom map showing the passenger exactly how to get most efficiently from his arrival gate to the departure gate. A gate agent could then be holding up an iPad displaying that that map, with the customer’s face on it, as he walked off the plane, to point him in the right direction.

Says Cush, “Ninety percent of the people that work for our airline never sit down at a desk, and never sit down at a pc. The way they communicate is mobile phone, with a tablet, when someone is waiting on a crew bus. Or waiting on the train.” […] “Linear communication that you used to have no longer exists.”

In the words of CEO, David Cush

Click here to view the embedded video.

The original article appeared on Airlinetrends.com here.

The post Virgin America goes social and personal with new IFE system, powered by Salesforce.com appeared first on SimpliFlying.

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SimpliFlying

At SimpliFlying, in everything we do, we believe in thinking differently about aviation marketing. Having worked with over 30 airlines and airports across 5 continents, we understand the intersection of aviation and marketing better than anyone else. We have the most experience. The most clients. The most success.

SimpliFlying.com is one of the Top 2 blogs on aviation, and the Twitter handle (@simpliflying) is one of the Top 5 most influential on airlines, with over 12,000 followers. If you're keen to tap our expertise, email us at helpmesoar@simpliflying.com

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If you’re wondering why Boeing has such a strong social media presence, even though they can’t sell any planes on Twitter, we’ve got the answers for you in this interview. Boeing wants to position itself as a “forward thinking, thought leading driver of innovation in the industry”, shares Director of Digital Strategy at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Gary Wicks. He believes that social media offers the most efficient tools to accomplish this goal.

Growing up fast!

Though Boeing had traditionally been buttoned up and corporate, the company was forced to act in 2010 when an eight year old, Harry, received a form letter for his suggested design for a plane. The episode blew up on social media. At that time, Todd Blecher, Boeing’s Head of Communications, began using Twitter to respond to supporters of Harry. “We’re expert at airplanes but novices in social media. We’re learning as we go,” he wrote in one message.

 787 inspired social strategy

At Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the digital strategy is led by Gary Wicks, who is based out of Seattle. We caught up with him personally, to understand how their efforts have evolved since the early days of caution. And what we learnt left us impressed. Here are some key points from the interview:

• How the 787 marketing program led Boeing into the digital marketing world [00:46]
• How “Name the plane contest” lead to “Dreamliner” [01:22]
• The evolution of digital strategy at Boeing Commercial Airplanes [01:50]
• How digital content from 787 inspired the content strategy for 747-800F [02:20]
• Managing the social channels strategy at Boeing Commercial Airplanes [02:58]
• Delivering a seamless brand experience across channels [03:46]
• Resource strategy for social media at Boeing Commercial Airplanes[04:17]
• What goals Boeing is trying to drive with digital media [05:30]
• Behind the scenes of the “Build your Dreamliner” app [07:03]
• How “Build your Dreamliner” advanced the momentum of the 787 [08:04]
• What’s next for Boeing and its digital strategy [08:41]

The post [Interview] Gary Wicks shares how Boeing Commercial Airplanes takes the social media bull by its horns appeared first on SimpliFlying.

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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.

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Jonathan Pierce is leading change at one of the world’s largest carriers: American Airlines. As the Director of Social Media Communications, Jonathan leads a team of 12 individuals who are in charge of American’s online Customer Engagement efforts. Having worked at American for over a decade, Jonathan took up this freshly-minted position in March 2011. Under his able stewardship, American is now a force to reckon with on social media, with strong presences and high-level customer engagement activities occurring across most major platforms.

The Importance of Setting Clear Objectives

American Airlines, says Jonathan, is taking social very seriously. There is a serious effort underway internally to make the business more nimble, responsive and relevant  in today’s age of instant communication and changing customer behaviours along with the most important factor: the rise of the Connected Traveler. And social is at the centre of this change, pulling various departments together into a cohesive, integrated unit that is keenly attuned to listening and communicating with customers.

When Jonathan set off on this journey, the team had only a couple of people to head American’s social efforts. Gradually, as the team’s successes grew and the value of social media media efforts was felt internally, an agency was roped in to scale up the efforts. Today, the team has 12 highly-trained specialists who come from various parts of the organization: Customer Service, Reservations etc. While Jonathan acknowledges the key role played by the agency in helping to quickly setup and execute strategies that expanded American’s reach and presence, he firmly believes that best strategies can only be executed in-house.

Targeting all stages of the Connected Traveler Lifecycle

Two clear objectives were set from the beginning: first, to understand and target each channel according to its strengths and the audience’s behaviour on it. This would enable the strategies to bring value to both the airline and its customers. For instance, American has a strong presence on Twitter and focuses there primarily on the pre-trip as well as daily travel assistance to customers. In contrast, their Facebook account primarily targets the post-trip phase that involves a lot of sharing from customers.

The second objective was to inspire people to travel more on American Airlines. Jonathan is quick to point out that traditionally airlines have been poor at inspiring people to travel, having always focused on getting them to book. But social media now offers previously unavailable opportunities to target customers at the very beginning of their travel cycle. For instance, American uses Pinterest boards to visually engage customers and to inspire them to travel to locations that American Airlines flies to.

It is worth noting how neatly American’s strategies target the various stages of the Connected Traveler Lifecycle that SimpliFlying has been propagating for a while now. Witness how their Pinterest strategy fits the SimpliDream stage, their Twitter presence fits the SimpliPlan and SimpliTravel stages, whereas Facebook is primarily focused on the SimpliShare stage once travel is completed.

Building a Successful Online Brand

Luckily for Jonathan, demonstrating ROI in social media efforts has been a pleasurable challenge rather than the headache it can be. Not burdened by any directives to instantly start generating revenues, Jonathan’s team has instead added value to the core organization by creating a feedback loop on American’s product and services, straight from the customers to the organization. Moreover, the team, comprising highly-innovative individuals have been given the freedom to express themselves, thereby imparting a distinct spark and brand personality to American Airlines’ social media efforts.

Looking to the future, Jonathan is enthusiastic about the prospect of drawing greater participation from customers in company initiatives. He cites an example of how a recent series of YouTube videos called Behind the Scenes @ American Air was created. These videos were based on crowdsourced questions from customers, related to specific aspects of the business (e.g. Why do fares change, What happens to baggage etc). Cumulatively, they’ve drawn over 60,000 views!

Jonathan is keen to helm American’s social strategy such that it helps the company transition to an age of greater transparency, honesty and accountability. At the same time, he’s of course keen to also ensure that those who follow the brand stay engaged and in close touch with it. What’s more, he firmly believes that the way forward for the brand itself is to let customers shape the social and marketing strategy. This, he feels, will allow the company to offer greater value to customers while also deriving more value from the opportunities these new, intimate interactions with customers provide.

Kudos to such clear, visionary thinking!

Want to learn more about American Airlines’ social media strategy? Watch this video to learn more about why American will never have a separate customer service account on Twitter, the metrics American uses to measure success on social media, the mistakes American has made and how they’ve been rectified, what Jonathan and his team’s greatest takeaway from social media are, and, to top it off, essential advice on setting up a social strategy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Image Courtesy: Luis Argerich | Flickr

The post [Interview] Jonathan Pierce, Director of Social at American Airlines, Sheds Light on How the Airline Drives Results from Social Media appeared first on SimpliFlying.

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Shubhodeep Pal

Head of Operations and Innnovation at SimpliFlying

Shubhodeep Pal is the Head of Operations and Innovation at SimpliFlying and has been leading Product Development, Marketing and Business Development since December 2010 from the headquarters in Singapore. His writings have appeared extensively on SimpliFlying as well as revered industry outlets such as Tnooz, Airlinetrends and Loyalty360. He has considerable experience working in the social media sphere, having also conducted a workshop at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore. He has written an introductory e-book for social media newbies and has previously interned at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) as well. His wide range of interests include startups, programming, economics, geopolitics, film-direction/criticism and literature. His first collection of poems, Interruptions was released in 2009. He can be reached at shubhodeep@simpliflying.com.

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