Airlines 2.0
Using social media for
branding during the
recession
Shashank Nigam
Founder & CEO, SimpliFlying
Global Head - Brand Strategy, ACA
Associates, Inc
Sydney. Aug 6, 2009

Aviation :: Branding :: Technology
Global outlook
Singapore and NYC based
Practitioners
Top 5 Twitter-ers on airlines
Blog articles read over 120K times

Key take aways...
P.S: Good news! This is the wordiest slide in this presentation...

Key take aways...
How brand communication strategy has evolved
Why CRM = Cult Relationship Management
3 myths about social media, debunked!
How are airlines around the world leveraging on social media?
3 steps to get started with social media in the next 3 weeks
Who will implement the strategies?
What are the risks involved in this approach?
Simply, how social media can help YOU fill more seats
P.S: Good news! This is the wordiest slide in this presentation...

3 Trends

# 1
n d
r e

g 1.0
andin
Br
1960-2003...

One-way communication
Well defined message
g 1.0
ndin Control
B ra
1960-2003...

Talking to themselves
without realizing it

# 2
n d
r e

Bring in Web 2.0
Community || Collaboration || Content || Co-Creation

55%
of consumers want ongoing conversations
with companies and brands
89%
said they would feel more loyal to a brand
if they were invited to take part in a
feedback group

Of these 89%,

Of these 89%,
43% would like to see companies offering
customer service through social media

Of these 89%,
43% would like to see companies offering
customer service through social media
41% would like companies to solicit feedback

Of these 89%,
43% would like to see companies offering
customer service through social media
41% would like companies to solicit feedback
37% would like companies to provide new
ways to interact with the brand via social media

# 3
n d
r e

Flight delyaed
3hrs, changed planes 3
times! Never taking this
airline again
Absolutely Looking forward
loved the food on my to X-mas in Argentina
flight to Auckland on this year. Now got to
Emirates book the flights
The rise of the cult

Why CRM = Cult Relationship Management

What do these trends
mean for the airline?

THE NEED TO BE PART OF THE
CONVERSATION

3 MYTHS
about social media, debunked

Social media is free...
... free like a puppy

Social media is like a BBQ cookout...
... not a flea market

If I build it...
... they will come

How to do it?

Interaction without interruption

A community for common interests

A community for a specific target group

A community for potential customers

A community in another community

Co-Creation

Customer often knows best

In the end, it’s the involvement that matters

But first...
Airlines need a Personal!ty

Airline food, anyone?

Embracing the
accidental spokesperson

Empowering the common man

Empowering the common man

Empowering the employees

A Holistic Strategy?
Interaction without interruption
Co-creation
Having a personality

JetBlue Airways
blogging...

JetBlue Airways
on Twitter...

JetBlue Airways
on eBay...

Great ideas.
Now what?

$ ROE
The thing about ROI

Need not be just about money

To capture a specific market...
Go where the customer is.

It can be about engaging the employees

The key is to have a quantifiable measure of success beforehand

How to get started?

!"#$%&'
+&&,-&.%' (&)*)%'
3 steps to get started with social media in the next 3 weeks

What if your employees are already overworked?

One person/team, supported by Subject Matter Experts

1. Give ownership to one person or team
2. It’s OK to start small, but do it well
3. It may require a long-term approach to succeed
4. Success metrics may be different from other efforts

Risks? What Risks?

How to tackle risks?
How to give up control?
Recognize - What can go wrong?
Prepare - To involve the community
Be Resilient - Bounce!

In Conclusion...

Airlines need to be a part of the
conversation about their brands...

Using the latest technology tools to
listen & engage allows...
Interaction without interruption
Co-creation
Building of a personality
Firm implementation

It’s not the strongest of the species that survives,
nor the most intelligent.
It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
Charles Darwin

“...and you don’t want to be the one looking like
an ostrich with its head in the sand...”
Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, AirAsia X
5 Aug 2009

Questions
Email: shashank@simpliflying.com
Twitter: @simpliflying