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Last week, a friend of mine boarded a Virgin America flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles. As is the case often at most busy airports these days, there was a delay in departure, due to air traffic delays. The flight sat on the tarmac for 10 minutes. But this is where the typical story ended and the fun started.

The Virgin America flight attendants took their positions in the aisles, but not for safety demonstration, since they already have a super cool video for that. They announced to the passengers that since they are waiting, they should have some fun. They started playing games with the passengers! The flight attendants asked the pleasantly surprised passengers questions about Virgin America as well as other topics, and those who answered correctly even received prizes! What a brilliant way not just to engage the customers, but leave an indelible impression about the airline.

Airlines must find innovative ways to engage the customers before, during and after the journey. Having a captive audience for a sustained period of time is something marketers crave for. That not only enhances the experience, but empowers the customers with stories they can share with others. After all, this experience was shared by a friend of mine too. Virgin America is already doing a great job at enhancing the in-flight experience, and this is yet another feather in the hat for them. The rest of the airlines, especially those in the US, should take note and put on their thinking hats.

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With air travel in the US probably as commoditized as bus rides in Brazil, the industry was ripe for some disruptive innovation. The spark was provided when Virgin American entered the foray a few months ago. Much has been written about their famed safety video as well as a bunch of innovative in-flight amenities. But there is also a ton that other airlines not only in the US, but globally, can learn about fresh, innovative branding from the folks at Virgin.

Welcome to the Branding 101, Virgin style. Here are the Top 5 insights to be cherished.

1. To exceed great expectations, do the unexpected. As it is, it’s tough upholding the promise of being the airline that is “reinventing air travel”. But Virgin actually does a good job in not just meeting expectations, but exceeding them too, by consistently surprising and delighting the customers. On Earth Day, all passengers in green were allowed to board first. Even the toilet plays trance music. How is that for a pleasant surprise?
2. Create a strong brand personality. Be it Sir Richard Branson or the zingy flight attendants. Be it the smaller-than-usual boarding passes or the in-flight safety video. All elements enforce a strong Virginisque brand personality, and it is this which continues to linger in the customer’s mind long after he or she leaves the plane. Virgin is excellent in doing this across its plethora of brands, and has done a great job here as well.
3. Engage. Virgin America has taken the phrase “engage the customer” literally. Passengers can communicate with each other using the in-flight chat system. They can even chat alongside their TV shows, about a particular scene. Now, that’s truly engaging. Everything from the now-famous in-flight safety video (see above) to the check-in staff go an extra mile in engaging the customer. And the customer remembers the engagement and shares it with others. A great example of the true power of a strong brand being leveraged.
4. Stay consistent. People across the globe have heard of the Virgin brand and associate it with certain attributes – trendy, hip, great value for money and disruptive in nature. Brand extensibility across brands cements the customers’ trust in a brand. Virgin America stays true to the overall brand values of the Virgin group, by offering better-than-full-carrier amenities at budget prices and ensuring that the customers feel the chic nature of the brand at almost every touch point.
5. Fire from the shoulders of giants. Piggy-backing on a hot trend can result in unexpected benefits for a brand. Virgin America has utilized this same technique by tapping on the “green” fever. It has been approved as a Ceres network company for its commitment to being a sustainability leader in the airline industry. It has also partnered with Method, the environmentally-friendly home and personal care product company that creates the hand soap provided on all Virgin America flights. In addition to that, Virgin America is also sponsoring California State Parks Foundation environmental restoration projects across Northern California and surprising Virgin America passengers with a special gift that offers travelers a few easy tools to go green at home. How is that for being eco-chic?

Virgin America is truly leading the way in the US airline market, making the journey an experience in itself. Let’s see who’s the next one to follows in its footsteps.

Ponder that!

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• What makes Virgin America an outstanding airline brand? The delivery.
• Virgin America takes in-flight experience to a new level
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With airline mergers and takeovers happening around the world, and now looming in the US too, one of the biggest “obstacles” encountered by airlines is airline staff unions. I beg to differ.

Here are a couple of the latest news about crew unhappiness in the last few days:

• Air France Agrees to Buy Alitalia for $1.2 Billion (but faces union troubles), March 17, 08 – Bloomberg
• British Airways Pilots Protest Plan to Start New Airline, March 15, 08 – Bloomberg
• Pilots have much to lose during mergers, March 9, 08 – USA Today
  

Internal branding as a strategic corporate communications tool

Airlines should ensure that they take good care of their employees in case of a merger, and not construe it as an obstacle. Having them in the fold and ensuring their happiness would help ensure that the passengers receive a superior brand experience. Some branding experts refer to this as internal branding, other claim this is integrated branding. Regardless of the terminology, it is an established fact that if the working conditions are good, the crew is happy, and that rubs off onto the passengers so that they too are happy.

The fact of life is if you treat a human with dignity and respect, most people will go an extra mile for you. JetBlue in the US, Virgin Atlantic in Europe and AirAsia are prime examples of airlines that are known to take good care of their staff, who in turn go the extra mile in keeping the brand Xperience top-notch.

So, how to keep the crew happy in a merger?

Consolidation in the airline industry seems inevitable, with costs shooting through the roof. Airlines till now have not come up with a good model to integrate seniority-based crew roles upon a merger. Most airlines let separate crew operate on their original routes, under separate unions – as that keeps them happy due to lack of disruption. However, a better way to do this may be to involve crews from both airlines in the merger talks right from the beginning, so that their concerns are addressed too. This way, costs can be cut effectively (the aim of the merger) and a majority of the crew will be happy, in turn ensuring happy customers.

Ponder that!

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Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of Indonesia, suffered a setback recently. Indra Setiawan, a former CEO of the airline was sentenced to 12 months in prison for his part in the mid-air killing of a human rights activist. From a branding perspective, this just rubs salts in the already-wounded brand image of Garuda – since it already has one of the worst airline safety track records in Asia. The airline is leaving few options for its customers to form a positive perception.
Probably the only way they can resurrect the brand is to win on price competition, while still remaining full service, and impress the customers – a tough bet, given their track record. May be the new planes they ordered at the Singapore Airshow recently will help them rescue the brand with new routes to US and Europe, at good prices (and of course, the new planes). Airlines – and other worthy brands (Apple?)- must always be vary of coupling themselves too tightly with an individual. Although this can be a huge X-Factor for the brand, which differentiates it with other airlines, it can be a risky proposition.

Nevertheless, many airlines have used it to their advantage in the past – from Richard Branson of Virgin, to the upcoming Vijay Mallya of Kingfisher Airlines in India. These iconic figures have traditionally brought great leverage to the brand. But being so closely associated can be risky, since the smallest of the person’s actions will have consequences much larger in magnitude for the airline as well.

A better strategy is to create an icon – like the SIA Girl, of Singapore Airlines – which can be a controlled by the airline management as and when they wish, rather than be exposed to risks individuals face. Moreover, it can act as a reliable X-Factor, something that goes above and beyond what “yet another airline” would do to boost its brand image.

Ponder that!

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