Airlines 2.0
Using technology for innova2ve
branding through the recession
FTMA
Ft. Lauderdale, April 23, 2009
Shashank Nigam
Founder & CEO, SimpliFlying
Global Head ‐ Brand Strategy, ACA Associates

Key take aways...
What does a recession mean for airline brands?
How to tap on the latest technologies to get closer to the customers?
What have other airlines done to enhance their brands?
What are the risks involved in this approach and how to get started?
Simply, how to build a stronger airline brand in 2009

READY?

Let’s start by reviewing 2008

$4,000,0
00,000
Total es
timated lo
sses for a
irlines

30%
Average
drop in
airline s
tocks

7 l
oi
4
f
lo
1
e
rr
$3
ba
$ fa Ex
o p
ice ec
0
pr te
st d
he pr
ig ic
H e
of
oi
li
n
m
id
-2
00
9

50
Expected number of airline bankruptcies in 2009

0 -in
5
k
ec
h
$
c
ag
b
nd
co
se
0
f
to at
s
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e
Co cs
fi
$
ci
pe
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a
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si ge
o
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ho
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of ur
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os u
C f
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ra
ve
A

ESULT?

Frustrated
Customers
Employees
Management

In other words...

Loss of Brand Equity

ow What?

Airlines need to get closer
to the customer again.
But how?

By interacting with the customers on their terms
By getting inside the fickle mind of the customer
By sharing the ownership of the brand
By revealing the personality behind the brand
By tapping on the latest technologies to do this

Bring in the social web...
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%,
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

How to do it?

Interaction without interruption

A community for common interests

A community for a specific target group

A community for frequent fliers

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

Employees blogging

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?

$
Think 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

Goals, Actions, and Metrics

The key is to have a quantifiable measure of success beforehand

isks? What Risks?

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

How to get started?

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

In Conclusion...

Airlines need to restore the
trust in their brands...

Using the latest technology tools to
build trust 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

Questions
Shashank Nigam
Founder & CEO, SimpliFlying
Global Head - Brand Strategy, ACA Associates
Email: shashank@simpliflying.com
Twitter: @simpliflying