Airlines and airports need start moving from broadcasting messages to their customers, to having conversations about their brands with their "cult". Featuring case studies of over 25 airlines on social media, this was the presentation that I used for my keynote in Sydney, at the Australia Pacific Aviation Summit on 6 Aug 2009. View more details on http://simpliflying.com/tag/technology-branding/

1. Airlines 2.0
Using social media for
branding during the
recession
Shashank Nigam
Founder & CEO, SimpliFlying
Global Head - Brand Strategy, ACA
Associates, Inc
Sydney. Aug 6, 2009

3. Aviation :: Branding :: Technology
Global outlook
Singapore and NYC based
Practitioners
Top 5 Twitter-ers on airlines
Blog articles read over 120K times

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

5. Key take aways...
How brand communication strategy has evolved
Why CRM = Cult Relationship Management
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...

6. 3 Trends

7. # 1
n d
r e

8. g 1.0
andin
Br
1960-2003...

9. One-way communication
Well defined message
g 1.0
ndin Control
B ra
1960-2003...

10. Talking to themselves
without realizing it

11. # 2
n d
r e

12. Bring in Web 2.0
Community || Collaboration || Content || Co-Creation

13. 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

14. Of these 89%,

15. Of these 89%,
43% would like to see companies offering
customer service through social media

16. Of these 89%,
43% would like to see companies offering
customer service through social media
41% would like companies to solicit feedback

17. 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

18. # 3
n d
r e

19. Flight delyaed
3hrs, changed planes 3
times! Never taking this
airline again
Absolutely Looking forward
loved the food on my to X-mas in Argentina
flight to Auckland on this year. Now got to
Emirates book the flights
The rise of the cult

20. Why CRM = Cult Relationship Management

21. What do these trends
mean for the airline?

22. THE NEED TO BE PART OF THE
CONVERSATION

23. 3 MYTHS
about social media, debunked

24. Social media is free...
... free like a puppy

25. Social media is like a BBQ cookout...
... not a flea market

26. If I build it...
... they will come

27. How to do it?

28. Interaction without interruption

29. A community for common interests

30. A community for a specific target group

31. A community for potential customers

32. A community in another community

33. Co-Creation

34. Customer often knows best

35. In the end, it’s the involvement that matters

36. But first...
Airlines need a Personal!ty

38. Airline food, anyone?

39. Embracing the
accidental spokesperson

40. Empowering the common man

41. Empowering the common man

42. Empowering the employees

43. A Holistic Strategy?
Interaction without interruption
Co-creation
Having a personality

44. JetBlue Airways
blogging...

45. JetBlue Airways
on Twitter...

46. JetBlue Airways
on eBay...

47. Great ideas.
Now what?

48. $ ROE
The thing about ROI

49. Need not be just about money

50. To capture a specific market...
Go where the customer is.

51. It can be about engaging the employees

52. The key is to have a quantifiable measure of success beforehand

53. How to get started?

56. !"#$%&'
+&&,-&.%' (&)*)%'
3 steps to get started with social media in the next 3 weeks

57. What if your employees are already overworked?

58. One person/team, supported by Subject Matter Experts

59. 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

60. Risks? What Risks?

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

62. In Conclusion...

63. Airlines need to be a part of the
conversation about their brands...

64. Using the latest technology tools to
listen & engage allows...
Interaction without interruption
Co-creation
Building of a personality
Firm implementation

65. 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

66. “...and you don’t want to be the one looking like
an ostrich with its head in the sand...”
Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, AirAsia X
5 Aug 2009

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