LCC 2.0
How can LCCs leverage social media
to engage the customer?
Low Cost Airlines World Americas 2009
Miami, FL
June 30, 2009
Shashank Nigam
Founder & CEO, SimpliFlying
Global Head ‐ Brand Strategy, ACA Associates, Inc

Aviation :: Branding :: Technology
Practitioners
Singapore and NYC based

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

Key take aways...
What is social media and why airlines need to embrace it?
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...

READY?

What’s 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

What does that 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?

$
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

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

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