At one point in the video, the screen flashes, “In the near future, we will not find products or services, they will find us“. A simple sentence that can have significant implications on how airlines do marketing. Add on to this the fact pointed out by Morris Sim, CEO of Circos Brand Karma, at the recent WebInTravel event in Singapore, that statistics from Alexa that showed that about 1 in 20 visitors to travel websites in APAC were at Facebook right before. Social networks like Facebook could be so helpful to our business if we know how to make use of them. The time has come to act. Enjoy the video.

The ray of light…

There’re strong indications that mindsets are already beginning to change. Just look at the number of airlines active on Twitter (squint a little on the chart below). As Rohit Bhargava mentions, “what’s now needed a vision from the highest level of marketing to…pour more internal support into the nacent social media activities starting within the company that have such big potential but are likely underfunded and underappreciated.”

And as a (very) frequent flier, and a keen social media marketer, I’m happy to help. Just drop me a line.

For those looking for where to start, some of my articles may offer some insight:

1. So you work for an airline? Here are Eleven steps to lead the social media branding initiative, and become a rockstar!
2. Five and a half secrets for airlines to drive revenue from social media: Keynote presentation from LCC Summit in Al-Ain
3. Keynote presentation from Sydney: How airlines can have conversations with customers on social media

• Airline branding: Keynote video from Abu Dhabi, and CNBC Arabia
• Southwest vs. United: Why Authenticity Wins, Even In TV Advertising
• Driving social media ROI for airlines, airports and travel businesses – Keynote presentation from #SMtravel11
• Presentation on airlines and social media from FTMA & Freddies 2009, now available
• [Presentation] Social Media ROI – here’s how airlines can measure it through dashboards

——

Over the course of two days, I saw two stark examples of what could easily be considered the best and worst of airline advertising messages encompassed in two ads done for domestic US-based airlines. Let’s start with the worst from United:

What makes this ad so ineffective? First of all, the call to action to experience their first and business class has almost nothing to do with the visuals and storyline of the animated character. She could just as easily be in economy class. Or on another airline. And the last thing I want to think about is all the creatures in the sea when I’m on a transcontinental flight. If I’m lucky, I won’t see any – which means my plane stayed in the air where it belongs. The beautiful animated characters and music have little relevance to our lives and have been a random choice for as long as United has been running this campaign.

The choice of Gershwin for the music has become a signature for United and most consumers would recognize it as their “theme song” – but again there is no built in message or purpose for this beyond brand awareness. And as one of the largest airlines in the United States, I think it is safe to say that awareness isn’t really what United needs in the first place. Ultimately, as a United customer, I end up watching that ad and wondering to myself what else they chose not to spend money on so they could produce this ineffective message and buy expensive media time to show it (it first aired during the Beijing Olympics).

In contrast, here’s the Southwest ad:

What makes this ad so effective? The first reason is that it is topical. At a time when most domestic US airlines have started charging passengers to check their bags, Southwest is one of the few that has not done this. The ad smartly focuses on one attribute that actually DOES set Southwest apart from their competitors: that your bags fly for free. The execution of the ad is strong as well, featuring a man who is presumably a real baggage handler smiling and generally looking happy to be taking care of your bag. The voiceover humanizes your bag – noting at one point that your bag can even bring its “little bag friends” for free. I love my bag – so I respond to that message. Chances are, you do too. At the end of the ad is a simple, yet effective call to action to pack your bag and go on that trip that you might have been planning for some time, because you’ll save money with Southwest and your bag will fly for free.

Clearly the audiences for these two spots are different. Southwest is going for the leisure traveler on domestic travel while United is targeting the business and first class crowd for international travel. Yet their different approaches underscore the shift that is taking place in marketing today. The more authentic message focused on something people actually care about will trump the artistically created piece of fluff that lacks any strong insight or message any day.

The irony, perhaps, in this post is that because I live in the Washington DC area – I travel all the time with United and rarely on Southwest. In the past I have often pointed to United as the brand that I would most like to work with because they have such a clean slate of possibility. If they could rethink their entire approach to marketing, add more personality and use social media more effectively – they could completely reinvent people’s perception of their brand.

There are some early signs that this is starting to happen – including United starting a twitter account. What it truly needs is a vision from the highest level of marketing to rethink their advertising and pour more internal support into the nacent social media activities starting within the company that have such big potential but are likely underfunded and underappreciated. In case United is listening, drop me a line … as a loyal customer and hopeful marketer, I’d be happy to help.

• Indigo Airlines goes international chic with latest brand campaign – the model of a modern global airline
• Are location-based services a blessing for the airline brand?
• Rohit Bhargava feels that United Airlines lacks a brand personality. Is he right?
• Why do I regret having never flown Southwest? It’s the humor!
• Why Should I Friend you on Facebook or Twitter, United?

In a startling revelation today, United Airlines announced that it’s closed down it’s sole customer service call center in India. This means that customers will no longer be able to call in to send feedback (positive or negative), as all comments have now got to go through the post (whoever writes those today!?) or in an email.

“Along with the decision to end its association with a third-party contractor in India, United will shut down its current customer relations telephone line and advise customers to write or e-mail feedback about their travel experience.” – BusinessWeek

The only positive I see coming out of this is some consulting offers for Oliver Beale, of the Virgin Atlantic fame, to help write some letters that have an impact. Cutting 165 jobs in India might save some money for United, but the long term damage of not giving customers a way to interact Live with a person from the airline will be extremely detrimental to the brand.

Moving back in time!

As the world moves forward, United Airlines seems to be moving back in time. They now expect us to write in a letter to them, put a stamp on it and post it when we have a complaint about their service. I can’t help but feel pity for a passenger who actually does that, to get a response like “Thanks for your letter. We’ll get back to you” in four weeks, if he hears back at all. Or get a “Mailbox is full” reply when an email is sent. I’m not saying that is the case. But given how long United Airlines’ call center takes to get me to speak to a rep, that might very well be the case with my letters! And just by the way, isn’t this feedback for the airline’s benefit, so others can avoid the displeasure? Customers these days want to TALK to someone, and not engage in slow-moving (often one-way conversations).

Airlines need to speak more with the customers, not less

It is an understood fact that customers preferences change very fast in a downturn. So in these times, shouldn’t an airline be getting its feelers out and taking note of changing sentiments as soon as possible? And a letter is certainly not a fast way to do that. Moreover, a customer is much more likely to pick up the phone than write a 1000 word email about his experience. As United “speaks” less to the customer, not only is it going to lose important market research about them, but also lose the chance to showcase its personality to the customer.

Recently, when Rohit Bhargava, the author of the very popular Influential Marketing Blog was asked “what is one brand desperately in need of personality?”, his answer (unsurprisingly) was United Airlines. And I’ve written in the past of the importance of having a personality, specifically for United Airlines. Simply put, it’s much easier to hate a faceless corporate, than a company where you can speak to its people and relate to them. United Airlines has just lost that chance too.

All marketers are liars – Seth Godin

United Airlines proves Seth Godin right, literally. “This streamlined approach enables us to carefully research our guests’ feedback and most importantly, respond thoughtfully with an e-mail, letter or phone call,” the company said in an internal release. Who’s going to believe that? United is no Virgin Atlantic, to hire people who criticize its food!

The other lie is that the jobs are being moved back to the US. Interestingly, that’d only be true if United was cutting 165 people in India and adding 165 in the US. But that’s not the case. It’s the existing reservations staff that will now have the extra task of replying to these letters and emails!

Well tried, United. Try harder next time. I don’t think it’s so easy to fool the educated consumer these days. All things said, even if United saves $100,000 per year by chopping down this call center, the amount of brand equity lost due to lack of customer contact is immesurable. And as the MasterCard advertisement goes, “there’re some things in life money can’t buy”. Brand value is one of them.

What do you think? Do you think it’s the right decision by United Airlines to shut down the only phone line they had for customers to call in to? I’m sure we’ll have a lively discussion here. Feel free to share this article with your friends, andsubscribe to the blog by email or RSS as well.

P.S: Due to this news, I couldn’t help but digress from the Indian Aviation Special edition, running all Feb on SimpliFlying. In-depth analysis of the Indian airline industry resumes on Friday. Promise!

• Five steps to Customer Service Excellence for United Airlines (with real-life case study)
• The airline brand suffers big, when big spenders get frustrated with hidden fees: true story (United Airlines)
• A Southwest Airlines employee goes out of her way to help a distressed passenger
• Why Should I Friend you on Facebook or Twitter, United?
• Q&A: How Brands Can Perform Real-Time Customer Service on Social Media

To rub salt to the wounds, “Horizon and Alaska Air left customers fuming because they were unable to get through to Alaska or Horizon reservations agents on the phone or on the Web site to rebook travel”, the Seattle Times reported. Under normal circumstances, these services would have worked fine. Unfortunately, Alaska wasn’t the only airline badly affected by the mess, but also others like United Airlines. Though I haven’t heard too many good things about United, Alaska Air has certainly impressed in the past when it came to caring for their passengers. But things like these still happened. So, what can the airlines do to capitalize on externalities like these to actually build their brand further?

Be prepared

In case of inclement weather, passengers should be provided with up to date information (can’t emphasize this more!). Call center staff and website servers should be beefed up in advance. Items essential for the successful operation of a flight must be stocked up – like the de-icing fluids Alaska Air ran out of. It wasn’t that this snow storm came out of nowhere. There was ample warning given to the airlines.

I know, this is easier said than done, but in tough times, the preparedness of an airline must be clearly visible to the customers, in order to prevent a complete depletion of trust. A brand that stands by their customers in tough times commands their loyalty.

Be resilient

The most important factor for building confidence in a brand is the ability of a company to bounce back from a shock. If Alaska Air and others had made alternative arrangements for the passengers to get to their destinations, or at least put them up in hotels for those flying coast-to-coast, some passengers might have been less furious. But this didn’t really happen. Again, the lack of preparedness and advance planning was be visible for all to see and spoke volumes about the management.

It is difficult situations like these, which if handled well, can turn into hidden opportunity for airlines.

Show some empathy

Tempers generally run high during unexpected emergency situations like these, in which no one can do anything about it but sit and wait. This is when the airline staff has a crucial role to play. They will only aggravate the situation further if they simpy react and only go by the book.Simply, they can appear in control if they smile more, as Patrick Hanlon recommends.

There is a need for the staff to put themselves in the passengers’ shoes and comfort them a little. If it takes bending the rules a little, so be it. The goodwill generated will go a long way in building brand loyalty. Most importantly, airlines should empower the employees to take decisions on their own to a certain extent, when the situation demands it.

Stop being a faceless airline, add some personality

Rohit Bhargava mentions in his new book, “Personality not included“, that it’s very easy to get angry at and attack a faceless corporation. But once you add personality to the brand, people see the individuals behind the company and tend to empathize with them. After all, suddenly the company is more human, and humans make mistakes.

A prime example of an airline that has done a great job at this is JetBlue Airways. Having faced with a much worse crisis in Feb 2007, David Neelman, the then CEO, posted an apology on the blog for the massive delays caused due to severe weather in New York. At the end of the day, JetBlue’s efforts resonated well with customers, who lauded the personal touches from an airline.

Response to externalities is a crucial, but often overlooked, strategy that can be utilized by airlines to win the hearts and minds of their passengers. Do you have any instances to share when an airline dealt with an emergency in a professional manner and totally impressed you? How could the airlines have dealt with this particular situation better? Let’s discuss in the comments section.

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Image via Wikipedia

Rohit Bhargava is the author of a recently released book called Personality Not Included and also the blogger of the very popular Influential Marketing Blog. Recently, when he was asked “what is one brand desperately in need of personality?”, his answer (unsurprisingly) was United Airlines. Here is what he had to say:

The one that stands out for me simply because I travel a lot and live in a major hub is United Airlines. The amount of money they waste on brand campaigns is just staggering. Who in America hasn’t heard of United Airlines? No one. So why spend all this money to tell them who you are? They have so much potential to reinvent the way that they train their employees and that they use social media to allow people to have a more direct relationship with them. Sometimes I dream about getting them as a client because there are so many solutions that could make such a big impact on their brand. It’s uncommon to have a brand with that much untapped potential.

I couldn’t agree with Rohit more! Just look at their latest advertisements and you know that they’re trying to put lipsick on a pig. There is a huge disconnect between the picture they’re trying to paint, and the general consumer impression about the airline, which is formed by product experience, not just advertisements.

Talk is cheap!

In June, at a BrandSmart 2008 conference in Chicago, I had the opportunity to listen to and meet Dennis Cary, United’s SVP of Marketing (who’s just been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer). Though he’s an extremely talented professional, neither his speech about the latest premium passenger previlages nor his emphasis only on inter-continental First Class and Business Class resonate with the audience. Most of these audience were probably “cattle-class” domestic travelers who had to bear with long lines and long delays on the tarmac at United’s overcrowded Chicago hub. Similarly, the advertisements being aired to the average “six-pack Joe” do not resonate as well. United Airlines becoming is fast becoming one of those brands that we tend to gloss over, when we encounter any of their marketing efforts. So, what can United do?

Why is cattle class important? Because opinions matter.

Since United Airlines gets most of their revenues from premium passengers, it is probably logical to concentrate all their efforts (marketing or otherwise) on this customer segment. But what they don’t realize is that these passengers are small in numbers compared to those who travel in Economy Class. This means that more of these people are able to spread their opinions to others, and any marketer will tell you how important word-of-mouth is. So if a small number of pampered customers are keeping quiet (since they’re so busy anyway), and a large number of dis-satisfied customers are beating the drum about their experiences,  the overall result will be utterly negative. Hence, there’s a strong need for United Airlines to connect with their customers, premium or otherwise – as Rohit rightly points out. And how can they do that?

Get to know your customer, personally

United Airlines will only be able to communicate a brand image that is relevant and resonates with the customers if they understand their needs well. To do that, they need to interact with their customers, online and offline – as Rohit suggests. United doesn’t need to look to the likes of Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific to learn how to engage their customers. Right in their arena is JetBlue, which does a fantastic job of using the latest technologies to interact with their customers and engage them in a conversation.

Beyond using online social sites like Twitter and Facebook, United should also have people stationed at airport terminals to cater to customer needs. Once again, JetBlue was great at doing this by having staff stationed throughout their new Terminal 5 at JFK airport to help customers, since it’s only recently opened. Truly addressing customers’ needs exactly when they are in need would go a long way in building brand trust for United Airlines.

Employees as brand ambassadors

My only pleasant experience with United Airlines took place when I met a well-trained, fresh-on-board flight attendant. Such an experience seems to be a rarity these days, more so because of lack of training and welfare for staff, than anything else. I’ve been highlighting the importance of happy and well-trained employees often enough on this blog. When the staff if well trained, they become the ultimate spokesperson for the brand since they’re the ones who interact with the customer at every touch point – from call centers to the check-in counter. Having them believe in the brand and communicate it well can do wonders. Moreover, they can always be tapped upon for customer insights and feedback too. The essence of this lies in keeping them happy!

Rohit makes a good point that it’s “uncommon to have a brand with that much untapped potential”. I think the whole of US airline industry, with a couple of exceptions*, is full of brands with untapped potential. What do you think? Can the US airlines ever regain the former glory of the likes of PanAm? Is United really lacking a brand personality? Do you think Rohit is right? Let’s hear it in the comments section…

*I feel the couple of exceptions are Southwest, JetBlue, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines.

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