Welcome to Twitter, Singapore Airlines (SQ). And Facebook too! Welcome to the Branding 2.0, where a brand is not what you say it is, it’s what they say is.

For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, possibly the last major airline brand (see AdAge article) has just caught the wind about engaging customers through social media and began their new journey by first taking over a existing Facebook fanpage with over 100,000 fans, which was started by a real fan in 2006, and setting up a new Twitter account. All this happened on Sept 5, 2011 – over two years after we wrote here in May 2009, “why time is running out for the Singapore Airlines brand to get into Web 2.0″.

Better late than never. They have the advantage of learning from the mistakes of others, but at the same time need to match high expectations set by worthy competitors like AirAsia, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. So, now what?

Twelve things Singapore Airlines needs to do social media right

“Just because you built it doesn’t mean …

I have to admit that I’m a big Singapore Airlines (SIA) fan, and when someone says “you’re a great way to fly”, I can almost sing the SIA melody in my head.  But even I was surprised when SIA announced that they will be launching a low-cost long-haul airline, on the lines of AirAsia X and Jetstar.

Yes, Singapore Airlines is no longer the most profitable airline in the world (Cathay Pacific took over that title), and yes they’re losing market share to the likes of Emirates and AirAsiaX (to a lesser extent), but to go with a business model that’s hardly proven was a surprise move for a brand that’s been risk-averse of late.

While the initial reports stated that a good amount of analysis has gone into the decision and a “largely untapped market” exists, it’s safe to say that SIA is playing catch up in a market carved out in its backyard by AirAsia X and Jetstar. While the key success factor for SIA till date has been its endearing Singapore Girl brand, that’s exactly the dilemma they need to address – whether to extend the brand to the low cost airline or not….

Of late, there’s been a surge in airlines highlighting their flight attendants, like we saw with airBerlin’s weather girl on TV. And now, the most famous flight attendants of all – the Singapore Girls, are back at the forefront of a renewed Singapore Airlines brand strategy.

In advertisements released this month, there are no A380s. No business class beds. No gourmet food. No lounges. But just the Singapore Girl. I bet some of you would recall that in the late 70s and 80s, this was precisely the brand strategy for Singapore Airlines – something that set it a class apart from the rest. Here’s what the new ad looks like:

Of course, we were more than curious about the latest move, and managed to get an interview with the spokesperson at SIA. And here’s the interview, verbatim.
Interview with Nicholas Ionides, VP, Public Affairs, Singapore Airlines
Q: It’s refreshing to see the Singapore Girl being the center of SIA’s brand. What led to the re-think?
A: The Singapore Girl has always been central to SIA’s branding, and she …

I recently traveled First Class on Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Los Angeles. And then traveled Business Class on Emirates, from Singapore to Dubai.The former has been a dream for some time, and I was keen to learn what the real difference was. Alas, it was quite simple.

In both the flights, I felt a distinct connection with the flight crew that was serving me. I kept wondering why that was. The difference was eye contact. In Singapore Airlines, each time the Singapore Girls spoke to me, they kneeled down, looked at me at eye-level and then spoke. In Emirates, while the flight attendants didn’t kneel down, they always looked me in the eye when speaking with me or passing me something.  And coupled with a smile, it was always heartwarming. Even the smallest of interactions were a pleasure.

Quite simple isn’t it? It doesn’t cost anything to smile, and while it might take some time to kneel, it creates a lasting impression. One that often drives brand loyalty. Hence, it’s worth it.

What do you think? Why aren’t more airlines using more such gestures that …

Image via Wikipedia

Note: This is a Guest Post by Kat. She enjoys everything about airlines and works for their worst enemy: an airport.

Great brands have emerged amidst doom and gloom of economic recessions. Is this time for Singapore Airlines (SIA) to reinvent itself?

True enough, all these years, a Singapore Girl and premium class travel image were the selling points of the brand. But this economic crisis appears to have shaken and changed the landscapes of air travel industry quite significantly. More businessmen are taking budget carriers these days, premium class load factors show no signs of stopping decline, SIA business-class-only services had to be cut.

Market experts have been pointing out that even with the economic recovery premium class travel might not recover. After all, these low-cost-carriers (LCCs) get you there for a fraction of a price. At busier airports, LCCs have been snatching up slots, vacated by full-service carriers, which the latter might have a hard time getting back.

SIA appears to have been burning the candle from both ends. During …

As a number of you who follow me on Twitter and tracked my travels on TripIt know, I’ve traveled from Singapore to London to New York to Atlanta in the past one week. My Singapore to London flight was on the brand new Singapore Airlines’ A380 (my 2nd time on this “whale” in one month!), I flew from London to New York on Virgin Atlantic B747 and the last leg was on a Delta B757. I was excited like a kid in a candy store! And took away some lessons from each airline in branding too!
Singapore Airlines – there’s a reason why they are the best

As I boarded the A380, the first words in my head were, “Recession? What recession?!” It was a full-load double-decker aircraft from Singapore to London I was getting on, with more than 450 passengers on-board. Yet, I was personally led to my seat by an Singapore Girl. My coat was neatly hung in the cabinet, and she helped me with my hand-luggage too. The in-flight service was impeccable as ever, and the quite, new aircraft was like an icing on the cake.

Just a day …

Singapore Airlines has created probably the most well recognized airline brand in the world. The Singapore Girl has done great wonders for the airline and the nation over the years. Even ardent competitors like the CEO of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes, openly claim to be learning from the airline.

But the recent tough times have hit the airline hard, just like other premium carriers like Cathay Pacific. Singapore Airlines has decided to cut over 200 flights and is experiencing low load-factors in its premium classes – where it makes most of its money. So the big looming question is what should the airline do now? Change strategy? Probably not. How about using social media to soften the impact, by engaging the customers and employees real-time? Why not?
You can run, but you can’t hide
In my conversations with folks over at Singapore Airlines (quite a few of them!), I’ve sensed educated-nonchalance when it comes to adopting social media to pursue its business goals in this downturn. Not only are they hardly present on social media outlets, the airline seems unconvinced about the importance of a two-way conversation. SIA doesn’t have a blog, Twitter account, Facebook page or even social-media-friendly press releases (I …

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You can win an autographed copy of this book or a 4gb iPod by Tweeting any quote from this article or writing a comment here. Find out more here.
I’ve been monitoring conversations about Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Twitter for the last couple of weeks. And unlike most tweets about airlines, a large majority of tweets are positive! Here’re two of them:
@thetravelingCMO, Mon 04 May 14:39: Singapore Airlines in coach is like any US carrier’s Business. Well, to be fair, the service is probably better on SQ!
@MikeyFletch, Fri 01 May 18:27: Wow, Singapore airlines is a bit posh, time to fly
How has Singapore Airlines been so successful and well-admired for such a long time? There’s always a an enigma of sorts when it comes to this question. But this latest book by Jochen Writz, Loizos Heracleous and Nitin Pangarkar attempts to answer this very question – and does a pretty respectable job of doing so too!
Discovering the secrets of SIA’s success
The book begins by an overview of the challenges faced in the airline industry and goes on to provide an overview of SIA’s overall strategy. But …