My main theme was around the connected traveler – who has access to the internet throughout every single phase of travel – from the taxi he takes to the airport, to the airport lounge and duty-free areas, to in-flight wifi. And how this changes the dynamics of customer engagement for airlines and airport retailers and revenue opportunities. Below, I share the presentation for your viewing pleasure and would love to hear your comments on it too!

• Driving revenues and engaging customers in-flight – presentation from Airline Retail Conference #arc2012
• Airports in social media – driving results and the road ahead. Presentation from ACI Airport Exchange, Abu Dhabi
• Airlines in social media – the road ahead. Keynote presentation from #APEX2011
• Why the in-flight wi-fi business model needs a re-think (Hint: airlines can learn from airports)
• [Video] Two Paradigm Shifts in Travel and Three Ways Airlines Can Drive Engagement – Presentation from Aviation Outlook Africa Summit

The theme of the panel session was on Passenger Tracking and how new technologies are providing benefits to airport operators, concessions operators and passengers. I shared the panel with Kristin Shaw of SITA, Inc. and Faith Varwig, of the Faith Group, LLC, who spoke of some of the ways in which technology is being used to implement passenger “flow management” in airports.

Beyond these emerging technologies, I shared in the presentation that it is also important to remember that there are many (free) ways that airports can also begin to track passengers through social media tools and airport website booking engines. By working these tools into a strategy and using what we have at our “social fingertips” airports can begin to get a feel for passenger behaviors and patterns. Pairing these social tools with the mobile and GPS/Bluetooth technologies that are up and coming can help airports to get the most out of new technologies.

A question came up during the session, which we hear often from airport clients: “Do I need a mobile app if I have a mobile friendly website?” The answer really comes down to, “what are you going to DO with that mobile app? What do you want it to do for you….” A mobile app that is used to communicate with the passenger while also rewarding them for repeat visits and for shared content can help an airport to take emerging technologies (GPS and Bluetooth tracking) and integrate them into an existing marketing and social strategy. Social loyalty programs, like the one we’ve helped Estonian Air build, can be a great way to really tap into their audiences and maximize the addition of tracking technologies and the use of mobile apps.

These ideas and more, discussed in the presentation below (click here if you can’t see it).

• Thirty questions airline brands and airports must answer to build a strong social media strategy
• Airports in social media – driving results and the road ahead. Presentation from ACI Airport Exchange, Abu Dhabi
• Passenger Experience, Satisfaction & Concessions @ PTExpo11
• Driving social media ROI for airlines, airports and travel businesses – Keynote presentation from #SMtravel11
• 4 (fun) ways airports can drive passenger engagement through the use of Foursquare

The theme was on driving ROI from social media efforts for travel companies – airlines, airports, hotels etc. And as with all my presentations, I’m posting the presentation here for your viewing pleasure. A video will be shared as soon I get it from the organizers, meanwhile, you can watch my previous presentations or enjoy the presentation below.

Feedback welcome, and if you’d like to engage us to help you with your social media strategy – just drop us a line.

DRIVING ROI FROM SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AIRLINES – THE PRESENTATION

Here’s what Live audience were saying…

#tdseurope great presentation by @simpliflying and really energetic, but also full of great facts.

April 17, 2012 11:05 am via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@thompsonjones

David Thompson-Jones

@simpliflying Congratulations Shashank for your great presentation about social media ROI. I am one on the picture :-) #tdseurope

April 17, 2012 10:49 am via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@lauragp72

Laura Gallego

A great presentation from @simpliflying Shashank Nizam about social media ROI at #tdseurope

April 17, 2012 9:28 am via Twitter for iPadReplyRetweetFavorite

@nesetdereli

Neşet Dereli

"@simpliflying: People will follow a brand on social media if you touch their heart, or save them money. What're you doing? #TDSEurope"

April 17, 2012 7:50 am via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite

@fedeih

Federico Imposti

• Driving social media ROI for airlines, airports and travel businesses – Keynote presentation from #SMtravel11
• Airports in social media – driving results and the road ahead. Presentation from ACI Airport Exchange, Abu Dhabi
• How can airlines optimize social media content for maximum conversion? [keynote presentation]
• Results oriented social media strategy for airlines and airports – keynote from Navitaire Customer Summit
• Keynote from IATA Commercial Symposium 2009 – Driving revenue for airlines from real-time customer insights on social media

One of my best received speeches this week was the one I delivered at the Low Cost Airlines World Asia Pacific at Singapore last week. Previously, we’ve spent quite a bit of time talking about the changing face of loyalty as social media takes root in the minds of customers. Late last year, we even did a three-part special series (download pdf) on LCCs and loyalty. The first part offered five compelling reasons to start thinking about loyalty. The second part provided three easy ways to track loyal customers. And the final part offered five nearly no-cost solutions to drive loyalty.

In this presentation, I presented a culmination of our thoughts on this issue and presented the thesis that light-weight loyalty programs based on social advocacy bear immense opportunities for low-cost carriers. Since many of those attending the speech asked for the presentation, here it is. Enjoy!

• Three easy ways for low-cost carriers to track loyal customers
• Five Reasons for low cost airlines to take loyalty seriously
• Five (nearly) zero-cost solutions for low-cost carriers to reward loyal customers and drive loyalty
• Airline branding: Keynote video from Abu Dhabi, and CNBC Arabia
• [Presentation] How airports can track passengers, throughout the Evolving Traveler Life Cycle

1. Gadgets in-flight – personal and those supplied by the airlines
2. The connected traveler – and how to drive engagement and revenue
3. Learning from other retail models – in this case Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Tesco in Korea

Sharing here my Prezi presentation. The recorded video will be available soon too, so please do check back!

• [Presentation] from TFWA 2012: The Connected Travelers – how to engage and drive results from them
• Airports in social media – driving results and the road ahead. Presentation from ACI Airport Exchange, Abu Dhabi
• Low cost airline brands get creative with ancillary revenues – lounges, shops and cargo!
• The buzz from #socialindia about our presentation on how airlines drive results from social media
• Top 10 Airports on Social Media – case studies of the airports best at driving engagement

While I focused on key business goals like driving customer service and non-aeronautical revenue, I shared case studies from this year’s SimpliFlying Award winner London Gatwick and nominee Changi, among others. During the half-day MasterClass, I shared in-depth case studies and gave the participants a feel of how using free tools like socialmention.com and Geochirp.com can make their job easy when trying to engage customers.

I share with you here my Prezi presentation from the conference. A video recording will be posted up soon as well. Would love your comments on this.

 

ACI on Prezi

@simpliflying presentation was grand. #smartairports #Airportx

November 30, 2011 3:42 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@msjolund

Mattias Sjölund

#airportX interesting session on how social would revolutionize airport and airline revenue

November 30, 2011 3:09 am via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite

@Simillonpat

Patricia Simillon

Big crowd for @simpliflying Presentation @ #AirportX -a repeat of his stellar performance @ ACI EUROPE event in Lisbon! http://t.co/BhifmQzB

November 30, 2011 7:31 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@ACI_EUROPE

ACI EUROPE

• Driving revenues and engaging customers in-flight – presentation from Airline Retail Conference #arc2012
• Airlines 2.0: Using technology for branding through the recession – webinar slides
• Thai Airways get hands on social media training to drive brand strategy for the airline
• Results oriented social media strategy for airlines and airports – keynote from Navitaire Customer Summit
• [Presentation] How airports can track passengers, throughout the Evolving Traveler Life Cycle

Sharing here my presentation (Prezi) and some of the tweets from the conference.

 

@simpliflying loved your presentation, especially the enthusiasm, energy and passion you have for your subject #socialindia

November 12, 2011 2:40 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@happiestkhan

Shahnawaz Khan

Indeed ;-) RT @Anomillie: Airline gyaan by @Simpliflying #socialindia rocks

November 12, 2011 2:54 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@LHInsights

Prasant Naidu

There was a problem with the blakbirdpie shortcode

Great presentation on social media for airlines by @simpliflying #socialindia

November 12, 2011 2:15 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@kapgup

Kapil Gupta

C2C education on social platforms more effective than B2C if done right #socialindia @simpliflying

November 12, 2011 2:15 am via UberSocial for BlackBerryReplyRetweetFavorite

@ACertainSen

sohini sengupta

Well done! RT “@simpliflying: We're pleased to announce that we'll be feeding 100 kids in India for a year w @akshayapatra #socialindia”

November 12, 2011 3:04 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@anish3075

Anish Kumarswamy

At #socialindia , most of them were talking about Shashank's presentation, its created with http://t.co/gywVTlZD @ http://t.co/BeU9amWP

November 12, 2011 10:22 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@SeoHelpz

SeoHelpz

• Driving revenues and engaging customers in-flight – presentation from Airline Retail Conference #arc2012
• Airports in social media – driving results and the road ahead. Presentation from ACI Airport Exchange, Abu Dhabi
• Announcement: February will be “Indian Aviation Month”
• [Slides] Social Media Strategy for Lufthansa – how a legacy airline built a strong customer engagement model
• Presentation on airlines and social media from FTMA & Freddies 2009, now available

The future is mobile

Given the rapidly changing interactional/behavioural habits of the traveler, it has become important for airlines to target them where they can be found. Close your eyes and think for a moment about what the word mobile phone means to you: I’m quite certain that most of the readers here will at once think of an iPhone, Android phone, Blackberry or a similar device. It seems that the growth of social media – Facebook and Twitter primarily – as a valuable engagement tool to drive business goals has only helped create a more complex landscape. The growth of iOS and Android (especially iOS which is not just available on phones but on iPods and iPads as well), coupled with the ability to create custom apps to target customers and offer them value-added services right on their cellphones has changed the way airlines are thinking about customer engagement and driving revenue, customer service etc. In the past we’ve illustrated how mobile has been an important part of various airline initiatives in the social era: travel distribution, social loyalty and location-based-service initiatives. However, this case-pack deals purely with how airlines have specifically created mobile apps (in particular, on the iPhone and iPad) to engage customers while driving revenue and customer service as well.

Before we move on to the case-pack, here is a checklist of ways in which airlines have tried to differentiate their apps while offering value to their customers:

1. Booking: Some airlines, such as Turkish Airlines, have made it ridiculously easy to book tickets from within the apps in a crazily small amount of time. Customers love it of course: the easier and quicker you make the booking process, the more likelihood that the sale will be completed.
2. Convenience: British Airways allows boarding by flashing the QR code powered boarding passes that can be shown directly from an iPhone. Way to go paperless!
3. Travel inspiration: Lufthansa and KLM have created apps that are excellent at making the users of their apps drool at the prospect of travelling to delicious destinations on these airlines.
4. Complimentary travel services: A number of airline apps now allow customers to rent a car, know the weather and do more at their destination that is not strictly airline-related.
5. Augmented reality: A new player but one with huge scope for engaging the customers who’re usually more than happy (and mostly fascinated) to use the service for things such as navigating an airport or finding places to redeem loyalty points (Qantas).

That’s it, for now! Enjoy the case-studies!

Do let us know what you think of this Top 10 case-pack. Comments, suggestions, brickbats are all welcome in the comments section below. Alternately, you can tweet us @simpliflying.

• Top 10 Travel Distribution Initiatives by Airlines: Reinventing the booking cycle to drive revenue (from #eftamerica)
• The Always Connected Traveler – how mobile will transform the future of travel [Infographic]
• The Top 10 Viral Videos by Airlines (plus bonus videos)
• Q&A: How Brands Can Perform Real-Time Customer Service on Social Media
• [Presentation] How airports can track passengers, throughout the Evolving Traveler Life Cycle

I’m sharing here the presentation, with examples of how SAS Scandinavian gets their frequent fliers to start dreaming, how jetBlue helps plan and validate trip plans and how Estonian Air empowers travelers to share memories of their trips on Facebook. Enjoy!

• The Always Connected Traveler – how mobile will transform the future of travel [Infographic]
• Driving revenues and engaging customers in-flight – presentation from Airline Retail Conference #arc2012
• Keynote from IATA Commercial Symposium 2009 – Driving revenue for airlines from real-time customer insights on social media
• Airports in social media – driving results and the road ahead. Presentation from ACI Airport Exchange, Abu Dhabi
• [PRESENTATION] How Airlines Dedicate Resources to Social Media – delivered at #omtravel in Miami (June 2011)

Navigating an increasingly connected world

The internet has ensured that the times we live in are constantly changing. Everything about the world, even the beacons we hold sacred on the internet are restless, dynamic, shape-shifting. At the heart of all this change lies the virtual socialization of human society: more than ever before we are interacting with each other and with businesses online. And the most important part of this change is the growth in two-way conversations instead of one-way advertisements; the instant and spontaneous back and forth between a company and its customers rather than force-feeding pre-determined messages; most of all, the ability of social networks to amplify a distressed customer’s voice has shaken up the historically cold company-customer relationship.

What has changed

Let’s get a few things straight before we move on to the presentation.

1. By now, there really should not be any argument about why loyalty is important. It is quite well-known that a loyal customer is worth more to a company (in this case, airlines) in the long-run than a new customer. For airlines, the future of airline loyalty is now a pressing question given the growth of social technologies.
2. Traditionally, loyalty programs have never been good at addressing the issue of how to drive loyalty. Sure, if you’re a frequent-flyer, you might want to fly your preferred airline and get lounge access etc. However, what if you’re not a frequent flyer but do fly occasionally all the same? Or what if you’ve flown only a couple of flights with a particular airline? Do traditional loyalty programs provide incentives to drive repeat business for most customers?
3. Increasingly, airlines are finding various ways on social media to drive loyalty. And, here’s the catch: they’re finding ways to make air travel more attractive and rewarding for even those who aren’t frequent flyers. As such, many airlines are now rushing to find ways of driving social loyalty. Some of these have been covered in our slide-deck on the Top 10 Social Loyalty Initiatives by Airlines.
4. Social loyalty becomes especially important once airlines realize that some of their most ardent flyers are also its most vocal brand advocates. Hence, it becomes easier for airlines to target the most high-value customers in terms of not only miles flown but also in terms of their social influence online: in other words, Cult Relationship Management. What does this say of future loyalty programs? Yep, it says Opportunity in all-caps.
5. Lastly, given the ways in which airlines can emotionally connect with customers and engage them on social media, we can safely say that the next generation of loyalty programs won’t be restricted to just coupons, reward points and cabin upgrades. In fact, given the instant fame social media can often provide, recognition might be a key feature of loyalty programs in the future (as they already are in some cases at present). So, is social loyalty the future of frequent flyer programs? It certainly seems so!

Given the growing importance of social loyalty programs, a survey of frequent flyers was done determining their social network usage behaviour, booking preferences as well as what makes them loyal to a particular airline and what they’d like to see in social loyalty programs.

We’re sharing detailed insights from it below and including those that made it to the infographic as well. Enjoy!

Do let us know what you thought of this presentation. We’re listening! Leave a comment below or tweet us @simpliflying.

• [Infographic] The future of loyalty programs will be powered by social media
• Redefining CRM – Cult Relationship Management is in, and how loyalty marketing can benefit – keynote presentation
• Randy Petersen of Flyertalk on social media and frequent flyers – Part 2 of 2
• [Infographic] How travel brands are using social media to achieve ROI
• Driving loyalty for low cost airlines – presentation from Low Cost Airlines World Asia Pacific