Building a Brand: Logos and Liveries Are a Small Part of the Process

Abstract

This article discusses the challenges to establishing brand loyalty in the current airline market, where the shift to price as the pre-eminent selection criterion can obscure marketing efforts or make them irrelevant. Another barrier is the increasing use of codeshares and alliances, where a customer may book a flight on one airline but end up traveling on another. Successful branding efforts for low-cost carriers (LCCs) often result from setting up low expectations and then meeting or exceeding them. Southwest and AirTran Airways are two examples of that strategy. Three elements that customers tend to look for and that airlines would do well to emphasize in their marketing are: schedule, pricing and frequent-flyer programs. Some airlines are also embracing new technology trends such as social networking sites and targeting social and ethnic groups. Some top aviation executives discuss elements of successful brands that they have been involved in or observed.