SimpliFlying

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Jet Airways is relying heavily on ethnic marketing in the US to get in touch with its key target market of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), and tapping on distribution networks like grocery stores to allow access to tickets! In this part 2 of the exclusive interview with Lisa Markovic, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Jet Airways in the US, shares with us ways in which Jet Airways is trying to trump the current economic crisis.

Flying through the current economy

Jet Airways has been targeting niche events such as Diwali celebrations and India Day Parade in the US to get targeted exposure with the people who regularly fly to India. Moreover, Lisa realizes that these customers “shop around a lot and do their homework before they make a purchase”, and hence Jet Airways offers a product that offers “great value”.

Alliances and more…

One of the mitigation strategies for the current crisis has been to form an alliance with rival Kingfisher Airlines. Lisa shares that this alliance  “really is code-share agreement” such that both the companies can jointly reduce costs on routes globally by sharing resources. Moreover, Lisa reveals that joining a global airline alliance is certainly on the cards for Jet Airways and we should hear about it soon.

I’d encourage you to listen to the 10 mins Part 2 of the interview to learn more about these initiatives and other details Lisa shares about how Jet Airways is aiming to emerge a top airline brand from this crisis.

In case you missed the first part of this interview, you may want to listen to it too. Lisa spoke about the marketing and branding strategies Jet Airways employs in the US and the challenges encountered while entering new markets.

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Lisa Markovic, Jet Airways

Jet Airways has been the shining star of the Indian aviation industry, especially in the past 5 years, since liberalization. The airline established itself as the harbinger of positive changes in the region, and currently offers one of the best service in the Indian skies, their numerous industry awards a proof of that.

A couple of years ago, Jet Airways started international operations and currently offers direct flights to key destinations in India from New York, via their hub in Brussels. However, of late, the airline has struggled with the rest of the world airlines due to fluctuating fuel prices and the economic troubles. Seeking to douse my curiosity on how Jet Airways is dealing with this, I decided to get the inside scoop by speaking with the expert.

In conversation with an industry veteran, Lisa Markovic

In Part 1 of this two-part interview, Lisa Markovic, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Jet Airways in the US, talks about how work at Jet Airways is different from her 22 years at Lufthansa. She shares the unique challenges of differentiating the Jet Airways brand in the US, especially from JetBlue! She also talks about the unique marketing mix Jet Airways is aiming for in the US. When asked about the Jet Airways product and service, Lisa comments, “I’ve flown around the world on a number of airlines, but never came across anything like the product offering of Jet Airways.” I suggest you hear the rest from the lady herself.

Remember to tune in for Part 2 of this interview this Friday. Lisa will talk about how Jet Airways is tapping on “ethnic branding” in the US, planning for the future and what the Kingfisher alliance means.

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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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India’s leading private airline, Jet Airways has just decided to sack 1900 employees following their wide ranging alliance with Kingfisher Airlines. The move is intended towards cutting costs for the carrier struggling with high costs in an unfavorable economic environment. But that’s stuff everyone already knows about.

Here’s something interesting I encountered this morning. A leading Indian news website, Hindustantimes.com carried the story of this sacking, along with pictures of protesting employees. Ironically, there was a Jet Airways banner advertisement placed right next to that news, introducing their new flights between Bangalore and New York (which also may just follow the San Francisco flight into oblivion). Be sure to check out this interesting post on another blog, with a similar issue about the A380.

Isn’t it so interesting? How do you think airlines can save their brands from such incidents like above? We all know that with the advent of online media and Web 2.0, it’s difficult to control consumers’ comments. But advertising on a news site like this - that can certainly be controlled, isn’t it? But how? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section…

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Key Flight Facts

Airline: Jet Airways
Travel purpose: Moving to Singapore to begin college studies
Departure from: Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India
Arrival at: Changi International Airport, Singapore
Date of travel: 27 July 2008
Contributor: Shitij Nigam
Flight rating: 8/10

Image courtesy Flickr user Guido Haesevoets

Check-in

The check-in was process was swift and painless, and partially so because the airport was slightly empty (morning flights not exactly being the craze). The airport staff were also familiar with my Students Pass, something I’d been worried about previously, as to whether or not it would end-up causing unnecessary delays. The Jet Airways staff at the baggage check-in counter was nice enough to ask me about my college and course (and I was nice enough to explain. In detail.)

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