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In the last part of his three-part interview, Joe Crump,  the VP of Strategic Planning at Razorfish, reveals that instead of fearing the recession, airlines around the world can use it as a catalyst to build strong brands. Joe believes that “incredibly narrow constraints usually present the biggest opportunity for innovation”. I couldn’t agree with him more.

Companies like Apple, GE and Toyota have emerged stronger by just doing that in the past. In fact, the airline industry is full of success stories from the recession as well, like AirAsia and JetBlue. Right now, Virgin America in the US is doing a fabulous job at building a strong brand by offering great value in the recession.

Digital investments = greater ROI

Joe makes a startling revelation in his interview below. He shares that contrary to popular belief, investments in product upgrades on-board an aircraft, as well as other “hard” invesments like frequent flier lounges seldom match the return possible from “soft” investments like online media and a solid SEO (search engine optimization) strategy.

As I’ve stated in my previous articles on the topic, investments in building a strong digital brand presents a tremendous opportunity for airlines in a recession. Just the effeciency of the medium is often far beyond traditional mediums and investments that Joe mentioned. It’s something airlines should be seriously considering. Joe states that “airlines can use digital to drive loyalty, by using the medium to add a voice to the airline”.

Predictions for 2009

As shared in my first article of the year, Joe is looking forward to surfing the internet on-board airlines and is curious to see what opportunities arise from this developement. Moreover, he believes that “transactions” and “advertisements” will become much more seamless than they are right now, in 2009.

Here’s Joe Crump, un-cut. You can view all three parts of his interview here. 

• Airline brands need to emerge from the “jurassic era” – Joe Crump
• Joe Crump of Razorfish predicts doom for airlines that don’t build digital brands
• Airlines need to build strong digital brands to survive the recession in 2009
• Laura Reis of Reis & Reis feels airline social networks are “ridiculous”
• Landor Managing Director Allen Adamson reveals that creating a powerful airline brand is the ultimate test

Target the niche and appeal to the masses

When asked whether airlines should carve out a niche or target everyone, Joe responded with an intriguing answer – do both at the same time. He shares the example of Virgin America, which stongly markets itself to “the connected class”  but the budget conscious traveler often boards the airline too, since they offer such a great value product and service.

Do digital branding efforts need new measurement rules?

At the recent Interact 2008 conference in Washington DC, Joe had mentioned that the “Interbrand brand rankings are dead”. I dug in on his comment to find out what he really meant. Joe explained that the old rules of brand engagement have changed, since a brand’s digital presence now needs to be taken into account too. Hence the methods to measure them also need to be adapted to the current practices. And this is especially true for airline brands, since they’ve been operating by rules set in the 60s, and not those meant for the new millennium. Hence, they need to emerge out of the “Jurassic era” and adopt digital branding. Fast. 

“Before and After”, the true opportunity

Something very interesting Joe shared with me was how he defined brand experience as having a beginning, middle and end. It’s the middle that airlines currently focus on – the in-flight experience. Hence he sees an immense opportunity for airlines in the “before” and “after” flight brand experience. Adn the key to unlocking the true brand potential here will be going digital – since much of the entry brand experience with an airline happens online. Herein lies the hidden opportunities for airlines around the world.

I’m sure you’d enjoy hearing an industry thought leader’s ideas on airlines, branding and Web 2.0. Here’s Joe Crump, un-cut. You can view all three parts of his interview here.

What do you think of Joe’s ideas? Do you also feel that traditional brand rankings have lost their relevance? Is there a need to come up with a benchmark just for airlines? Let’s hear your thoughts.

• “Use the recession as a catalyst to build strong airline brands” – Joe Crump
• Joe Crump of Razorfish predicts doom for airlines that don’t build digital brands
• Airline industry and branding outlook for 2009: Experts speak
• Conde Nast Traveler 2008 airline rankings prove that product is the brand
• Airlines need to build strong digital brands to survive the recession in 2009