We had the excellent opportunity to deliver a presentation on customer engagement at the Aviation Outlook Africa summit that took place at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa July 11th through 13th. This proved to be one of the most eye-opening conferences for me personally, as it was  interesting to have a two-way conversation with African airlines about the social era of customer engagement in a country (South Africa) in which just 10 percent of the population has reliable Internet access (a number that is even lower in most other parts of the continent).

The shifts in travel, and how to drive engagement
My presentation, “Two Paradigm Shifts in Travel and Three Ways to Drive Customer Engagement,” looked into how social media is changing the travel industry and what airlines and airports can do to leverage social tools to build stronger customer relationships. Like in any relationship, customer loyalty is bred from two-way communication, and while social media has given individual customers a stronger voice than ever before, it also provides airlines with an effective way to engage and understand them.

In this presentation, we illustrate …

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.

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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.