Even though India is the world’s fastest-growing domestic market in aviation, it is not yet known for airlines that are superstars in engaging or offering customer service via social media. Or at least, until now. Last year, SpiceJet, a leading domestic low-cost carrier in India, launched the Bombardier Q400 in a market that’s traditionally sceptical and scared of flying turboprops (popularly classified as the “planes with fans outside”).  What’s more, they chose the untested waters of social media for propelling their route-launch and tasted tremendous success, achieving over 88% load-factor in the first two weeks itself. Moreover, they also earned countless new fans, followers and increasing engagement manifold on their social media channels. So how did they achieve this? We reached out to Pooja and she was gracious enough to give us more details about SpiceJet’s initiatives, the story of its rise in social media, its plans for the future and advice for those looking to taste similar success on social media. It’s worth noting, however, that SpiceJet has a great history of meticulous brand execution, unique positioning and clear brand strategy that have been previously covered by SimpliFlying.

The road to superstardom

Pooja admits that one of the challenges on social media was the specific nature of the target audience. She believes the Indian audiences interacting with brands through social media are extremely enthusiastic. However, at times, there could be a bit more mature behavior while interacting. There are times when the audience can get extremely personal which makes the interaction more challenging. Also, most fans interacting with brands through social outlets belong to a younger demographic and it appears that they are largely interested in freebies and deals. They also seem to be less open to dialogue and resolution as compared to their western counterparts.

At SpiceJet, while digital marketing was active, the preparation to plan and embrace social media was started by commissioning ORM activities. The ORM presented the team with an idea of what the customers thought about SpiceJet’s product and services. This insight led into developing the overall strategy for SpiceJet’s social media. At the time of launching their social media initiatives, Facebook and YouTube were big in terms of the user base. They chose to target Facebook since Indian audiences were spending more hours on it as opposed to YouTube. Though Twitter arrived soon after, it still didn’t have the required user-base numbers (in terms of an Indian audience) required to reach out and engage a mass audience. Hence, Facebook became the de-facto primary channel as it provided lot of flexibility with scope for customization and custom interactions.

Internally, SpiceJet put together a cross functional team that manages various channels across social media and includes members from different departments such as Marketing, Corporate Communication, Human Resources, Customer Services  working together with their digital agency. The Marketing team defines the objectives, defining a role for the each member of the team and ensuring brand synergies.

Given that measurement is crucial to evaluation the success of social media strategies, SpiceJet has adopted several metrics to measure various parameters. In Pooja’s words, they “use an internal rating grid system for each of the parameters which is qualified on a monthly basis. Some of the core parameters measured are levels of engagement, happiness quotient, and of course translation into sales. There are custom scripts running that provides insight on traffic coming from social media and the resulting sale. Social Media is a significant contributor to direct bookings on the brand site.”

The Bombardier Q400 launch initiative

As part of its expansion plan, SpiceJet inducted a fleet of Bombardier Q400 aircraft. The fleet expansion was targeted to cater to short-haul regional sectors. The entire promotional campaign on social media spanned over 2 months. The launch was touted as the most sensational and effective launch campaign as observed by industry and marketing experts. Testimony to this is the fact that the launch delivered 88% load factor within first two weeks of operations. Here’s how SpiceJet achieved success:

Name the Plane Contest

SpiceJet has a naming convention for its aircraft – named after spices. In order to create a brand connect, fans on Facebook were invited to recommend names for the Q400 aircraft that were being deployed. This activity received over 100,000 impressions in a matter of few days and an an equally overwhelming response with hundreds of name suggestions. Apart from having the opportunity to name the aircraft, the winner was also invited to ‘Cut the Ribbon’ of the inaugural flight.

Q400 | Feature Orientation and Destination Awareness

Once the ‘Name the Plane’ activity concluded, the follow-up activity was designed to introduce Q400‘s salient features along with making the audience aware of the Q400 destinations. This was done through the aid of an app and a contest. The community was sensitised of the features through questions posted daily.

The respondents with the right answer were provided with a numeric digit – which eventually at the end of the contest helped the fans crack the launch destination. The numeric digits / keys acted as the clue which revealed the Pin / Zip Code of the launch city when put together in the correct sequence.

This contest received close to 350,000 post impressions, along with 29% increase in the number of fans and 33% increase in post feedback.

The making of Q400 contest | Post Launch

Once the operations commenced, fans were presented with a poser – a random array of visuals which captured the different progressions of the aircraft assembly.  Fans were encouraged to sequence the visuals in the right progression.

The contest received about 400 entries with over 375,000 post impressions. There was 42% increase in the number of fans and 46% increase in post feedback.

This activity was followed by releasing the official video of ‘The Making of Q400’.

The brand’s bottom-line was impacted positively with a load factor of 88%. The Social Media campaign for the Bombardier Q400 Launch was picked up by the media (Huffington Post and AFAQs), demonstrating the impact of the idea and execution. In addition, the campaign also made it to the second position in the “Top 11 marketing and social media innovations by airlines in 2011” published by Simpliflying.

Looking at the future and the success formula revealed

Pooja says SpiceJet’s biggest bet for 2012 is to strengthen and expand customer support on social media. SpiceJet has been carefully studying the patterns of customer interactions and has found social media to be a critical channel for redressals along with being a guiding light for customers through booking and travel planning. Internally, SpiceJet chalks out plans for each quarter in advance. This provides the required flexibility to accommodate both platform changes as well as aligning to objectives & goals.

Tips for those looking to taste success? Pooja says the following are essential:

1. Channel Selection – there exists a plethora of options, but it is always critical to select channels that are apt for your business model and geography. Also, the ability to sustain something you start is crucial.
2. Being transparent and honest – Address any customer issues openly in the respective forums and your audience will appreciate it a lot.
3. A well-defined objective, planned in advance, is critical.
4. Content Strategy is Key – Avoid the temptation of using these channels as a corporate communication tool. Pooja recommends having a  unique content strategy for each of the channels you wish to engage.

Pooja signs off by saying that  ‘consolidation’ will play a big role in the near future. There are new technologies emerging everyday: With internet connected televisions becoming popular, building social experiences leveraging Twitter, Facebook and Youtube on mobiles and tablets around video content will become preeminent. At SpiceJet, they’re “waiting and watching” and expect the coming phase to be a huge leap that will support their expansion plans.

Let us take this opportunity to congratulate Pooja and SpiceJet once again. We look forward to many more exciting initiatives from them in the months to come!

Disclosure: SimpliFlying worked with Bombardier on the social media strategy for this project, which was fabulously implemented by the talented Marketing team at SpiceJet and their agency – iVista Solutions.

Know someone who’s worthy of being a SimpliFlying Hero?

Simpliflying Heroes are individuals recognized for outstanding social media use in the world of aviation. Do you know of somebody who uses social media effectively in their airline or airport to achieve specific business results? Or do you think you fit the bill?

Then go ahead and fill up the SimpliFlying Heroes nomination form. By filling out the nomination form, you bring them a step closer to being recognized by SimpliFlying for their efforts.

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It’s not often you see the CEO of a low cost airline in a tuxedo. But that’s exactly what Aditya Ghosh was dressed in, when I last met him at the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence in Singapore last month – where Indigo Airlines won the Best LCC award. This was the second time we had met, after meeting at another award ceremony in London earlier in the year, where he carried a trophy home too.

Indigo has been on a streak. After starting operations just five years ago domestically and recording one of the best on-time performances in India, we predicted three years ago that the airline would end up being one of the best in the country (watch interview with CCO), and indeed they’ve gone on to become the second largest in India. They have recently started flying international and recently placed the largest aircraft order in history.

With such  growth comes the need to raise awareness internationally, which is what their latest advertisement seeks to do.

A Runway Musical – an original, or is it?

Touted as the world’s first Runway Musical, we found out from our good friends at Bangalore Aviation that “the ad was produced in Los Angeles, under the direction of Steven Antin, director of the Christina Aguilera musical feature ‘Burlesque’ and choreographed by Denise Faye of ‘Chicago’ fame.”

It’s got an edgy feel to it. Very much like Virgin Atlantic’s early advertisements – which puts the Indian airline on the global map. You have to watch the advertisement to get a feel for it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

While I personally liked the latest campaign for being bold and unlike most other airline advertisements we’re used to in Asia, I was also sent another video from which the Indigo campaign is clearly inspired from. So while the concept is not completely original, I’d give credit to the Marketing folks at Indigo and their agency for at least trying to be different and standing out. After all, they’ve clocked almost 7,000 views on Youtube just a couple of days after releasing the video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The evolution of the “on-time” airline brand

You’ll appreciate the latest campaign even more when you see what the brand has evolved from. You’ll see (below) that the 2009 campaign was animated and about on-time performance. In 2010, it was still about on-time performance, but had more of a Broadway musical touch to it. And the latest (above) still retains that brand consistency of on-time performance, but certainly catered towards an international market.

Indigo Airlines 2010 advertisement – catered to a domestic market

Click here to view the embedded video.

Indigo Airlines 2009 animated advertisement – touting on-time performance

Click here to view the embedded video.

We like the brand evolution. What’re your thoughts? Let’s discuss in comments and on Twitter (@simpliflying)

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I flew from Mumbai to Delhi yesterday on Indigo Airlines, a leading domestic budget carrier in India, known for its tongue-in-cheek branding.

I have a habit of being engrossed in a book or a newspaper during the take-off and landing sequence on every flight I take. On the flight yesterday, once the safety demonstration was done, the stewardess walked down the aisle checking our seat-belts. As she passed me, she realized I was reading and reached out to turn on the reading light for me.

Let me write that again. Without even me asking her for anything, or even making eye contact with her (remember, I was engrossed in reading), she turned on my reading light, gave me a smile and walked away.

It was an aha-moment for me. Having taken over 20 flights in the last couple of weeks (including flying First Class), this was the only thing that stood out. Thanks to such a simple gesture, which made me feel special, I can say with confidence that I’ll be inclined to fly Indigo when I’m in India. Of course, they greet me by my name too, when serving food – as I wrote last year.

Driving customer loyalty isn’t that difficult after all, isn’t it? Just do the small things right. Great job, Indigo!

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A little girl’s hand was held by an elegant SpiceJet stewardess dressed in striking maroon. As the two ladies headed towards the galley, I saw tears rolling down the little one’s cheeks. Her ears were probably hurting as we started descending into Jaipur, India. The stewardesses in the galley started playing with her and then opened up one of the carts for her too! She was given a few packets of biscuits and a SpiceJet kids’ coloring kit. The little one was soon beaming from ear-to-ear and ran back towards her parents full of joy.

You must be wondering I’m telling you this story? Not just because the kid in me got excited and requested for one (see pics below), but because such instances of brand execution are an inherent part of every successful airline’s brand strategy.

Something else that happened on my SpiceJet flight was that an elderly lady who was seated in the bulkhead row was reluctant to put on the seat belt because she was hurting around the waist as the belt was too tight. Instead of shouting orders (which often happens on US-based airlines), the stewardess calmly explained to her the importance of the safety belt, got her a belt extension and helped her securely fasten it. All the time, I sensed a dash of patience and graciousness, and not outright exertion of authority.

Now, the next time parents of that young girl fly, or the elderly lady travels alone – which airline do you think they will pick? The answer is obvious – SpiceJet.

Creating emotional bonds – a hallmark of great airline brands

A crying baby. An aching grandmother. A young dad stressed out with his one year old. All these may sound like annoyances to the typical air traveler, but these are exactly the instances where airline brands that have their act together create a long lasting emotional bond with the customer. Singapore Airlines is famous for taking special care of parents with young children, even helping them carry the child and playing with the child when needed (I’ve witnessed this a number of times myself!). And it was great to see one of the most successful airlines in India deliver service that matches the best.

Matters of the heart go a long way in building brand loyalty

When I spoke with SpiceJet’s CEO Sanjay Aggarwal last year, he emphasized that India is becoming an environment where it’s increasingly difficult to differentiate the brand. And emotional connectivity can go a long way in driving loyalty. For example, the fare on a Bangalore to Mumbai domestic flight in India differs by less than $5 for most of the carriers. In that case, if I have a special memory of being treated well by SpiceJet, or even watching someone else being attended to, I will choose them.

Customer mindsets are actually quite simple to understand. You offer + deliver great value, and the customer will happily become loyal, and recommend the brand to his friends too. In the LCC world, JetBlue, Southwest and now SpiceJet and Indigo are doing it. Among full service carriers, people happily pay a premium to fly Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific. It’s not what expectations the brand sets, but more importantly whether the brand execution exceeds the expectations – which makes a successful airline brand.

What do you think? Is it worth for airline brands to put in the extra effort to create emotional bonds? Do you have stories to share where an airline made you happy? Share it in the comments or on Twitter (@simpliflying).

Special thanks to Deepa Dey, Bijender Singh and the Mumbai Duty Manager of SpiceJet for making my flight from Mumbai-Jaipur extra Spicy!

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Sam Sridharan, COO, SpiceJet

In the past year, I’ve featured interviews with a number airline executives and branding experts. Here’s one with a person I feel has a very good grasp of the airline industry and is not afraid to speak his mind. In his crisp answers, Sam Sridharan, Chief Operating Officer of SpiceJet, one of India’s foremost low cost carriers, speaks of what makes SpiceJet so good, and why branding is a work in progress.

No Indian LCC has a distinct brand positioning, yet

Sam believes that since LCCs in India are only 3 years old, in the consumer’s mind, they’re all the same. Most of the LCCs are still very price driven, and have not built a distinct brand positioning yet. Full service carriers certainly have cues that come to mind, like Jet Airways signifies efficient service, and Kingfisher Airlines bring forth their flamboyant image. Air Deccan was probably the only one with a strong brand positioning – make the common man fly, but it’s now dissolved.

The SpiceJet Brand

A Work in-progress

Some of their recent promotions have read, “It’s not lonely at the top anymore” for a buy one-get-one-free ticket scheme. On Children’s Day, any child flies for free. Again, parents often accompany their children. The idea is to get people to buy the two adult tickets. The most successful promotions are about value, not just the price.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy this interview as much as I did. Special thanks to Deepa Dey and Mohona Chakrawarti for all their “Spicy” hospitality belted out to me at their headquarters just outside Delhi.

What did you think of Sam’s ideas? Is SpiceJet heading in the right direction with regards to their brand? How would you compare Sam’s plans with that of Sanjay from Indigo, featured last week? Which one if more likely to succeed? Let’s discuss.

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Consistency not only in the sky, but also on the ground

When someone flies Indigo Airlines, what he looking for? Sanjay believes that it’s not a five star flying experience. He’s looking for an easy, hassle-free travel experience. And Indigo lives up to the expectation. Not only do they have Queue-busters – mobile check-in counters that Sanjay mentioned in the first part of his interview last week, but they are also the first airline to have welcome announcements on the “coach” that takes passengers to the aircraft. It makes them feel that the journey has begun.

Why low pricing isn’t sustainable?

Sanjay feels that the current spate of low airfares in India is a short-term phenomenon and it’s a ploy to get people in the air once again. Such prices cannot be sustained in the long run. Hence, once the prices rise (this has already started happening), the challenge will be for airlines to keep the passengers in the air. And how does Indigo make this happen? By delivering a consistent brand experience, over time.

As for Sanjay’s predictions for airlines in India in 2009, he feels it’ll not be an easy year for the airlines in India in 2009, but those who keep their costs low, and keeps the customer coming back for more will emerge stronger in the long run.

I invite you to listen to the second half of Sanjay’s interview right here, on SimpliFlying.

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When the stewardess, Neha Shenoy, came to ask me if I wanted any drinks or sandwiches, she greeted me by name. Yes, you read that right. I was asked, “Mr. Nigam, how’re you doing today? Would you like to have some sandwiches…?” I was bowled over. It was the first time I was being greeted by name, in an Economy Class on a domestic sector in India. Something that’s usually a feature of international Business Class on reputed carriers like Singapore Airlines had somehow made its way to this Indian budget airline. And very simply too. Neha was carrying a copy of the passenger list on her cart, and just read out my name from there. A simple method. But very, very effective. I got a drink from her.

But that was just the beginning of my fascination with the airline. I managed to get in touch with a senior executive at Indigo and had a candid chat with him about what makes the airline so successful that it has captured 15% of the Indian market in just a short time.

Three tenets of success for Indigo Airlines

Sanjay Kumar has been with Indigo Airlines for almost two years now, having previously made SpiceJet a runaway success upon launch in India. Sanjay is the Chief Commercial Officer at the airline and is responsible for generating revenue and building a sustainable business model for the airline.

When I asked him what makes Indigo so successful, he mentioned three key tenets for success: affordable fares, on-time performance and hassel-free travel. These may seem like big words, but I personally experienced this while flying the airline. The fare was the second-lowest on the sector I flew, and I picked the flight because of its superior on-time performance as compared to others on the same route. In fact, even in-flight, there was emphasis on these three tenets, especially on-time performance. As for hassle free travel, I found the planes to be extremely clean and soothing music was being played upon boarding and alighting from the plane.  Even the turnaround in Ahmedabad was extremely efficient, which took less than 15 mins!

Focus on excellent customer service pays off

It’s Indigo’s emphasis on ensuring a great customer experience during interactions with the airline that is doing wonders for the brand. Sanjay shares that special attention is paid to ensuring consistency in service across the A320 fleet and the experience at the airport matches that on-board the plane. In congested Indian airports, Indigo has roving “check-in counters” where passengers with only cabin baggage can check-in with an Indigo official with a handheld device, rather than lining up at the check-in counter. Another simple, yet effective measure.

Personally, I feel Indigo is on track to be one of the best airlines in India, especially with such experienced professionals like Sanjay at its helm. And I’m not alone in this thinking.

For now, I’d like to invite you to watch Sanjay’s interview and hear straight from the man himself, on how he and his team of less than 20 have created an airline in India that everyone seems to be talking about. Do turn up the volume a little.

What are your thoughts about Sanjay’s strategies? Are they easily duplicatable around the world? Why is it that some airlines like those in the US seem to have stopped caring about customer service? Let’s discuss…

Do look out for Part 2 of this interview this Friday, when Sanjay talks about Indigo’s brand strategy and the Indian aviation scene.

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• CEO reveals what makes SpiceJet a leading airline in India in a frank interview
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• Little things that make an airline brand stand out. Good job, Indigo!
• Building the “spiciest” airline brand in India: Interview with SpiceJet COO

…

Jet Airways recently hinted that the worst is over for them and they expect to break even again in the middle of this year. And this is mostly because of the drop in fuel prices (obviously!) as well as the prudence shown by the management in cutting unprofitable routes, including that the San Francisco. And I don’t see this as an isolated case.

After my recent interactions with key airline executives in India, including the CEO at SpiceJet, it is my belief that airlines in India will not only be one of the first few to emerge from the recession, but also come out the strongest. Here are three key reasons for this conviction.

1. Airlines that stand by their customers in bad times win hearts – brand matters

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Just look at what’s happening in the western airlines in this recession. US Airways recently started charging for blankets, and they already charge for water (which can even be a health hazard!). Ryanair is famous for being the most hated airline in Europe, since it hardly takes care of its customers. Interestingly, bad times have not resulted in a disregard for customer service in Indian aviation.

Recently when I flew from Bangalore to Jaipur on Indigo Airlines, I was greeted by my name before being served soem beverages. Now, that’s a first. I’ve never been greeted by my name in an Economy Class on any airline before, let alone on a low-cost carrier! Jet Airways recently won the Best First Class award, and Kingfisher does everything it can to uphold its 5-Star Airline status.

Did someone forget to tell these airlines that “we’re in a recession”? Probably not. But their focus on keeping the customer happy will pay off in the long run. Those who’re still flying will never ditch them. And when good times return, these same happy customers will generate enough brand awareness through word-of-mouth to bring in new passengers.

2. Being nimble and resilient pays off

Unlike other airlines that’re expected to do well in the recession, especially Middle Eastern ones, most airlines in India do not have any special privileges like reduced oil prices or backing from a government with deep pockets. This has forced them to act on their own to cut costs to remain aflot in these difficult times. And they’ve done so smartly too. Instead of bothering the customer with frivolous charges like in US airlines, Indian carrier have cut costs where it matters.

Kingfisher Airlines has swiftly postponed plans for more overseas route launches (Singapore, Hong Kong) – since they tend to be resource heavy at the beginning. Jet Airways too has not shyed away from cutting glamorous but bleeding routes like that to San Francisco. Moreover, they’ve both either delayed the delivery of new aircraft, or leased them to airlines like Turkish and GulfAir. Most airlines in India have switched to focused marketing efforts, rather than blanket campaigns to get more bang for the buck. And Kingfisher and Jet Airways have set aside their competitive aspirations to forge a code-share alliance to save costs – as Lisa Markovic explained in a recent interview with SimpliFlying. It is this resilience and fast action that will pay off well in the end.

3. It’s the economy, stupid!

In the last 50 days, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in New York, Singapore and Delhi/Bangalore. And the word “recesssion” has disappeared from the local vocabulary in that order too. India’s GDP will grow 7.1% this year, according to data released today. In what way is this a recession? At best it’s a slowdown from previous years’ growth of close to 10%, but c’mon guys…this is not a recession. And if anyone has any doubts, just head over to Marthelli in Bangalore or Gurgaon, just outside of Delhi, to dispell all the myths. And this economic growth translates to the aviation industry too.

Talking about the Indian operations, Kenji Sugino, Director – Sales, Administration and Marketing, ANA recently said “Despite the global slowdown, India is one of the growing markets for ANA. We are positive about this year and are expecting good load factors and sales margins. We are going to play strategically in the Indian market this year.”

More than anyone else, it’s the Indian carriers that will reap the best rewards of a still-active Indian economy, if they play their cards right. And till now, they haven’t let most people down when it comes to crises handling.

What do you think? Are Indian carriers indeed doing it well, or is this a mirage? How soon do you think airlines in India will recover, and which international airlines would give them competition? Let’s discuss…

Feel free to share this article with your friends if you thinks they’ll find it enriching. At the same time, I’d like to invite you to subscribe SimpliFlying by email or RSS as well.

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Jet Airways employees protesting

Last week, Jet Airways in India fired almost 1000 employees (and then re-instated them after a huge furor). In bad times, it’s natural for companies to cut costs, and reducing headcount is one of the ways to do that. But it was the method of communication that infuriated employees and resulted in widespread public protests.

Just like airlines cannot treat customers badly, they cannot treat employees badly too. After all, happy employees make for happy customers, who then form positive impressions of their interaction with the brand. One of the most successful airlines in the world, Southwest, treats their employees like customers and the results are there for all to see. Here are a few things other airlines can do to keep employees happy, by treating them humanly.

No surprises, please!

Most of the Jet Airways employees were hardly given any notice of the upcoming lay-offs. They were informed either a day before they were asked to leave, or on the day itself, in some cases. The news came to them as a shock, especially from a company whose CEO has often preached a family-like culture (which was also used as a reason for reinstatement). When delivering a bad news, surprise is not good. There has to be ample notice, and key employee champions need to be taken into confidence before any such announcement is made. Moreover, a transition plan must be in place.

Come, talk to me

Even more important than the plans is the way the message is communicated. A number of Jet Airways employees received “pink slips” on their mobile phones via text messages. Some received emails.  That seems to be the absolute height of disregard for employee welfare. Not only did the employees felt detached and unloved, they felt like they were being kicked out of the company. It’s only natural to expect the resulting protests against the decision. Good communication is key to keeping the brand trust intact – just like dealing with customers. Such decisions need to be communicated face-to-face and in-person so that both parties have a chance to explain their side of the story well. Even if the employee has to be let go, he or she would understand well the reason for expulsion.

Employees are the most important brand ambassadors

In his book, “A New Brand World“, Scott Bedbury, talks about the value of brand alignment inside a company.”Though it is important to demonstrate consistently to the outside world that you know what your brand is about, ultimately, it is even more important to first demonstrate this internally…” Jet Airways has ambitions of being the “Singapore Airlines of India”. They have made good progress in that direction too.

Now, the important thing is to stay on that course and not allow glitches like these affect the brand. The importance of emplyees as brand ambassadors cannot be understated, and Jet Airways missed a trick with this employee sacking saga. Once brand trust is broken, it’s difficult to earn back. Hopefully the reinstatement of the emplyees will calm some nerves. But no one can tell the extent of the damage done to the brand right now.

What do you think? Although Jet Airways is a private company and has a right to hire and fire, were the employees treated right? How could the situation be better dealt with? How can other airlines do this better? Let’s hear it in the comments…

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