Airlines 2.0
Using technology for innova2ve
branding through the recession
Avia%on Outlook Middle East
Abu Dhabi, March 3‐5, 2009

About the Speaker
• Airline branding expert & consultant
• Founder & CEO
SimpliFlying
• Global Lead- Brand Strategy,
Airline Capital Associates, Inc
• Columnist
Interbrand’s BrandChannel.com
• Co-author of two books on branding

What you will learn...
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?
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

5 l
oi
6
f
lo
1
e
rr
$2
ba
$ fa Ex
o p
ice ec
5
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
5
e
Co cs
fi
$
ci
pe
0
s
a
0
ng
si ge
o
2
ar
ho
ch
c
of ur
$
s
t
el
os u
C f
ge
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

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 for potential customers

A community in another community

Co-Creation

Customer often knows best

Sometimes, competitions
do the trick

And other times, a customer-spokesperson is needed

But first...
Airlines need a Personal!ty

Airline food, anyone?

Embracing the
accidental spokesperson

Employees blogging

Keep it Simple. Make it Easy.

Keep it Simple. Make it Easy.

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

JetBlue Airways
blogging...

JetBlue Airways
on Twitter...

JetBlue Airways
on eBay...

$
What 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

isks? What Risks?

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

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
Ease of experience

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

Get in touch
Shashank Nigam
shashank@simpliflying.com