Blog 
[mk_page_section layout_structure=”full” bg_image=”https://simpliflying.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DeathtoStock_Wired7.jpg” attachment=”fixed” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”repeat” bg_stretch=”true” parallax=”false” parallax_direction=”vertical” bg_video=”no” mask=”false” mask_opacity=”0.6″ expandable=”false” padding=”0″ full_height=”false” full_width=”true”][vc_column width=”1/1″][/mk_page_section]The world was shaken this month when MH17 flight was shot down when flying over a conflict zone in Ukraine. This was the second mega crisis that Malaysia Airlines had to deal with in less than four months. As the investigations go on to uncover facts of the incident, many in aviation industry are contemplating what will happen to the Malaysia Airlines brand, even though it fared much better in its communications and handling of this matter as compared to the MH370 incident.
“In aviation, brand perception is uniquely important and often linked to safety,” said Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying, an aviation marketing strategy firm that works with airlines including Lufthansa and Emirates. “If an airline is perceived as unsafe, people will avoid it all costs.” (Full article here)
Below is where SimpliFlying had shared our take on this issue this July, along with features of our recent report The State of Airline Marketing 2014.
AIRLINE INDUSTRY NEWS
Social Media Fills Up With Tributes to MH17 Victims
Wall Street Journal | July 19, 2014
“The aviation community is a very close-knit community,” said Shubhodeep Pal, a vice president at Singapore-based aviation marketing consultancy SimpliFlying. “They’re very supportive” of those affected, he said of the users posting online in recent days. Read more
Malaysia Airlines Disaster Response Improves
Wall Street Journal | July 19, 2014
“Malaysia Airlines has been much better in their response this time. On social media, they’ve been very upfront, quashing all rumors and ensuring that they were the authority for all the information. That’s critical and that’s how they had lost control last time (with Flight 370),” said Shashank Nigam, chief executive of SimpliFlying, an aviation marketing strategy firm. Read more
Similar coverage featured in ChinaNews.com, Sina, Nanyang.com
Malaysia Airlines: Miles to go for salvaging brand
Business Standard | July 22, 2014
Shashank Nigam, CEO, Simpliflying, an aviation brand strategy firm, says, “While Indian tourists are price sensitive, they are often more superstitious. Hence, there is likely to be an irrational unease to fly the airline.” Read more
Will A Rebrand of Malaysia Airlines Help Turn It Around?
International Business Times | July 30, 2014
“In aviation, brand perception is uniquely important and often linked to safety,” said Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying, an aviation marketing strategy firm that works with airlines including Lufthansa and Emirates. “If an airline is perceived as unsafe, people will avoid it all costs.” Read more
Airlines Take to Twitter to Inform Customers, World
Wall Street Journal | July 19, 2014
“There are over 250 airlines on Twitter today, which is more than the number of airlines that have loyalty programs,” said Shashank Nigam, chief executive of Singapore-based aviation marketing consultancy SimpliFlying. “When it comes to direct airline-to-customer communication, Twitter is the best medium today.” Read more
Also published in Chinese outlet Netease
For MAS, hard lessons from MH370 put to good use in Ukraine tragedy
Malay Mail Online | July 25, 2014
“Malaysia Airlines has been much better in their response this time. On social media, they’ve been very upfront, quashing all rumours and ensuring that they were the authority for all the information.
“That’s critical and that’s how they had lost control last time (with Flight 370),” Shashank Nigam, chief executive of aviation marketing strategy firm SimpliFlying, told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in a report yesterday. Read more
AIRLINE MARKETING
Trends that transform how airlines are marketing their brands
Web in Travel | July 24, 2014
The State of Airline Marketing report lists seven key trends in 2014 with accompanying case studies, which show how airline marketing is undergoing a radical transformation.
Co-published by airlinetrends.com, an industry research agency, and SimpliFlying, an aviation consulting firm based in Singapore, the trends are based on over 350 campaigns analysed from more than 70 airlines around the world. Read more
Also published in Tnooz, BlueSky, Karryon.com
Saudia to bolster customer engagement with all-woman team
Runway Girl Network | July 2, 2014
Saudia is working with airline consultancy SimpliFlying to train a team of women to handle the airline’s customer engagement online and to bolster its social media presence. Read more
Impact of Social Media on airlines and airports. What skills do you need to succeed?
Where the puck is going | July, 2014
GapJumpers sits down with SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam, to talk about how Social Media has impacted airlines and airports. We also dive into what skills are needed to be an effective aviation marketer these days. Listen to podcast here and read an extract of the interview here
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SITA Introduces iBeacon Tech at Airports
AINonline| June 30, 2014
Shashank Nigam, founder of SimpliFlying, cautions that too many applications could become challenging for airlines. “We should be careful not to overstep,” he said. Read more
If you would like to interview SimpliFlying or involve us in your next article, please feel free to contact us at media@simpliflying.com