Southwest Airlines Branding
I’ve never flown on Southwest. I’ve always had some weird concern that their price was too low and I related it to poor quality (like poorly trained pilots or something horrible like that). It was a perception that was unfounded but it was my?reality.
But their branding?and advertising of late has been fantastic. They’re really taking advantage of the airlines that are not or will never be customer centric or “get it”. Everyone besides maybe JetBlue in the US.
I love their new TV commercial(s) where they say:
We don’t charge fees, on the first bag or second. We don’t charge fees on an isle or window seat. We don’t charge fees on curbside check in. We don’t charge fees on phone reservations. We don’t believe in charging for things that should be free. Low fares, no hidden fees.
Then of course they apparently deliver on their brand promise.
I wrote a post on how the banks could take advantage of the same type of opportunity (click here). Who’s the Southwest of the banking industry? Has any bank come out and really taken the steps to be different and stand out in the crowd? I certainly haven’t seen any type of TV? Which bank will come out and claim their rightful spot?
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October 12th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
My family has flown on Southwest for more than 20 years, and we try hard not to use any other airline. We’ve never had much spare cash, and Southwest has always given us great rates and great service: while it’s not posh, it’s certainly affordable.
I love Southwest!
Note: I did hate it when they changed their colors. The lovely old gold-and-red color scheme was so distinctive, you could spot a Southwest plane hundreds of feet in the air. All the other red-white-and-blue airlines looked the same at that height. Then Southwest added blue to their colors. Sigh. Oh well, can’t have everything, I guess.
October 13th, 2008 at 8:23 am
The Southwest Blog is done very well too. http://www.blogsouthwest.com/
October 13th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Virgin Money targets “the cool kids” and has a brand to match: http://www.virginmoney.co.za/vmsa/
Alabama Credit Union looks funky and unlike any financial institution I’ve ever seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8A3DeZtpkc
Umpqua Bank has one of the most respected brands in the banking industry, with an in-branch experience that kicks ass: http://umpquabank.com
VanCity Credit Union in Canada has a stellar brand built around social-consciousness:
http://vancity.com
October 13th, 2008 at 11:42 am
USAA is also an excellent competitor in the financial services/banking space. By focusing on important attributes in which they have gained a strong upper hand (customer service and highlighly competitive rates), they have created a brand with a sustainable advantage. Very similar to what Southwest has done in the airline industry.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Yeah. It’s an excellent value prop. While the other airlines are blindly following each other in their ill-advised attempts to nickel-and-dime their customers, SW goes against the grain and finds itself standing for something. (And in doing so, siding with travelers against its competitors ill-advised business decisions.)
Still though, it’s pretty sad that it’s come to this: Applauding a brand not for being better, but for sucking less.
I definitely applaud them for turning this into a PR win though. And for choosing not to rip me off with bonehead surcharges.