2. Southwest Airline’s
“Transfarency”
campaign embodies
the company’s no
surprise approach to
fees, having a sense of
humor and ultimately,
connecting with
their customers.
utotune,
crowdfunding,
google, selfie,
hashtag and
tweet — these words share
a commonality. All were
new terms when they hit the
scene and were so frequently
used by pop culture they
became infused in the English
language. They each received
the honor of being recognized
as actual words as they were
officially added to the English
dictionary. We can now thank
Southwest Airlines for what
might be a new expansion of
our vocabulary.
BY NONA PHINN
BBBTRUSTED.ORG 25
3. “Transfarency” is a summation of our
philosophy and everything that Southwest
stands for,” explains Anne Murray, Senior
Director of Marketing at Southwest
Airlines. Southwest first came to life on the
back of a napkin, vowing to be bold and
different amongst the other airlines in the
industry. This was the premise on which
Southwest began operating in 1971, as the
only airline providing intrastate service at
a time when most travelers opted to drive
if their travels weren’t taking them across
state lines. “We started out different and
we want to remain different from the rest
of the industry,” advocates Murray.
Differences that, according to the U.S.
Department of Transportation, have made
the airline the nation’s largest carrier in
terms of originating domestic passengers
boarded. Today, Southwest flies to
97 destinations in the U.S. and seven
international locations. During peak flying
times, Southwest operates more than
3,900 flights daily. They do so with more
than 49,000 employees caring for more
than 100 million passengers annually.
With numbers like this, no wonder
Southwest had plenty to celebrate in
2014 when the company revealed its
heart to the world.
Today, most of us are familiar with the
bold and dynamic heart that is coupled
with the Southwest name. When it
launched, Murray says for the company it
was about “being able to show the world
what our brand has become and not
turning away from what it has been.” The
airline had just completed its acquisition of
Airtran Airways, which added international
destinations to Southwest’s repertoire and
in the same year, the abolishment of the
Wright Amendment (an amendment that
restricted nonstop flights from Dallas Love
Field airport to destinations within Texas
and neighboring states) had taken place.
With plenty to be excited about, this new
visual identity was not about walking away
from the old but more about reminding
individuals why Southwest is so unique.
The heart for Southwest is everything.
It’s a symbol the airline feels best tells its
story. The company uses it to depict how
it does business, how it treats customers
and how it acts. “It’s how we behave not
just as individuals but individuals that
make up the company called Southwest,”
explains Murray. The airline is committed
to connecting with its customers and
helping to connect customers with what is
important to Southwest.
SOUTHWEST FIRST CAME TO LIFE ON
THE BACK OF A NAPKIN, VOWING TO BE
BOLD AND DIFFERENT AMONGST THE
OTHER AIRLINES IN THE INDUSTRY.
In October of last year, the airline introduced us to
“Transfarency”, which the company defines as a
philosophy in which customers are treated honestly
and fairly, and low fares actually stay low — no
unexpected bag fees, change fees or hidden fees.
This is what Southwest has always believed and
what the airline has now done is given it a name.
26 TRUSTED SUMMER 2016
5. A key way that Southwest shows
it’s different from other airlines is by
showing that the company’s beliefs
align with the beliefs of its passengers.
Southwest understands the customer’s
expectations and agrees. As the airline
industry began to add baggage fees and
all the other airline carriers followed suit,
Southwest said “no.” They believed that
taking bags on travel is a necessity and
should be something that comes with the
price of a ticket. Murray tells us, “From
the beginning we didn’t think this was
right. We think this is core and should
be a part of what you get. You just might
need some clothes.”
This alignment with customer beliefs
has been critical to the airline’s success.
As Southwest took on its bold, new
look, they began to look for ways to
clearly articulate the sum of all value
they bring to the industry and to the
marketplace as a whole. The concept of
Transfarency fit just perfectly for them,
by highlighting the airline’s low fares and
no hidden fees and its desire to have fun
with bringing this concept to market.
Transfarency goes back to the heart of
the airline — a transparent company
offering low fares and no hidden fees, no
hidden anything. Murray describes, “Our
industry has become not a surprise and
delight moment but a surprise and cringe
moment.” She paints a great picture of
showing up to the airport to check in and
being blindsided by additional fees or
having to pay for extras that one might
expect to come with the cost of a ticket.
“This is the opposite of what Southwest
stands for. People want a great price to
get them from point A to point B as well
as great service and that’s who we are.”
Southwest has developed a number
of creative initiatives in order to bring
Transfarency to life. They take great
pride in the commercials featuring
Southwest employees exemplifying
incredible acting skills and showcasing
great dance moves. Another place to
encounter the company’s employees
is on the Transfarency website where
quizzes and educational content around
hidden fees are used to raise public
awareness of the company’s new term
and the importance of what it means.
Every employee is shown having a bit
of fun, choosing not to be mean spirited
towards the competition but instead just
“poking fun” at their way of doing things.
The use of employees in advertising is
another key part of the company’s strategy
of being transparent. Passengers are
given the opportunity to meet employees
they will fly with when they choose to fly
Southwest, get a taste of who they are, their
personalities and are able to connect with
trusted faces who represent the brand.
Transfarency is bigger than a campaign
for Southwest. It has become a part of the
fabric of this airline. All of Southwest’s
“We started out different and we
want to remain different from the
rest of the industry.”
28 TRUSTED SUMMER 2016
6. messaging is infused with this perfectly
descriptive term. “For instance, we might
be talking about our rewards program
and you wonder what a loyalty program
has to do with Transfarency. Well, the
fact that we don’t have blackout dates is
another point of differentiation,” Murray
clarifies. “So, we’ll make a strong message
to ensure that the customer knows that
is a unique point of difference with the
Southwest rewards program. Our sign off
of that message is ‘That’s Transfarency.
No hidden surprises.’”
Transfarency is also helping to shape
the company’s engagement strategy. With
the use of the hashtag, #FeesDon’tFly,
Southwest encourages passengers who
select to fly with a competitor to talk
about their not so happy experiences
through its social media channels.
Here Southwest is creating a space for
passengers to take a stand against the
airline industry all while still having
some fun. Stories that detail hidden
or extra fees charged by other airlines
are associated with the Southwest
#FeesDon’tFly hashtag. For example,
one passenger posted a message about
being charged an additional $200 for a
name mistake on their ticket while others
tweeted about how much extra they had
to pay for checking in baggage and seat
selection. Each of these stories are read
with a tone of regret and an assurance
that their next flight will be with #SWA.
For those who do fly Southwest,
#FeesDon’tFly is also used to depict the
wonderful customer service they received
and share some of the great ways the
airline bent over backwards to help
them in some tough spots. These stories
mainly focus on how the passenger was
not charged for accommodations and/
or modifications that needed to be made.
Also highlighted are the extras that came
with the flight that the competition has
decided over the years to make obsolete.
BBBTRUSTED.ORG 29
7. “It’s interesting, hashtags usually trend
for 24 hours and then they are gone. This
one had staying power because it spoke
to the power that exists with our public.
They are taking a stand and saying, ‘I
don’t have to put up with airlines that
don’t fly the way I expect them to,’”
informs Murray, “and there is an answer
and it’s Southwest.”
Southwest has found that the airline’s
ability to stand its ground and not
cave into the pressure of following the
trends is earning it new passengers
every day. Murray calls it inspiring.
They see customers leave one airline
and come fly with Southwest because
of the feeling of being mistreated and
the need of wanting to do business
with a company that aligns with their
way of thinking. For Southwest, this
goes beyond the price of a ticket. The
airline expends a great deal of effort
ensuring that this national brand (that’s
going international) feels like home
to its passengers. “Being that heart of
the community to every community
we serve is the goal,” explains Murray.
To reach this goal, Southwest is an
active member of the community.
Initiatives such as supporting active
military and their families as well as
aiding individuals with medical needs
sit high on the company’s priority list.
Southwest has vowed that the initiatives
they are involved in are those that are
near and dear to the community’s heart
and its own.
Murray finds it tough to imagine
anyone who would want to do business
with a company that doesn’t stand
for the same things they do. At Better
Business Bureau, we are finding that
same thing to be true.
What’s next for Transfarency? It’s
going international. Southwest will take
the leap and begin sharing its new word
with customers outside the U.S. With
this next bold move, we’ll hope to see
Transfarency added to more than just
the English dictionary. g
“So, we’ll make a strong message to ensure that the
customer knows that is a unique point of difference with
the Southwest rewards program. Our sign off of that
message is ‘That’s Transfarency. No hidden surprises.’”
30 TRUSTED | SPRING 2016
#FEESDON’TFLY: SOUTHWEST IS CREATING
A SPACE FOR PASSENGERS TO TAKE A
STAND AGAINST THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY
ALL WHILE STILL HAVING SOME FUN
30 TRUSTED SUMMER 2016
