Comments on: Southwest Airlines Branding

By: Shawn M Adams

Shawn M Adams — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:39:06 +0000

Ok, so normally I wouldn’t really care much about the drama with the airlines (or railroads) in this country because they are always crying poverty looking for state and federal bailout moneys, while spending on payrolls like a drunken sailor on hookers…

By: olivier Blanchard

olivier Blanchard — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:22:47 +0000

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.

By: Joy Levin

Joy Levin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:42:04 +0000

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.

By: Jeffry Pilcher

Jeffry Pilcher — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:53:11 +0000

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

By: David Greenwood

David Greenwood — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:23:10 +0000

The Southwest Blog is done very well too. http://www.blogsouthwest.com/

By: Joi

Joi — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:53:22 +0000

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.