Case Study: Major Airline Carriers

Delta

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Delta also rebounded from its difficult times in '07. It posted a net income of $1.61 billion in 2007, but that was after coming out of bankruptcy protection which helped it cut costs. It will be interesting to see what 2008 looks like for Delta after reporting a $70 million loss in the fourth quarter of ’07 and a $274 million loss in the first quarter ‘08.

Its brand marketing hasn’t helped it a great deal. Its rebranding of a few years ago produced a revamped logo that shares a similar color scheme as American. Delta talked about “Welcome Change. Welcome to the new Delta,” which hasn’t moved the needle like it expected.

More recently, it has run the “Home. You’ll Get Used to It” campaign.

These ads are funny but send a kind of screwy message built on the same old, same old. The takeaway is that passengers enjoy flying Delta so much they are always gone.

That would seem to be the point, considering the supporting print campaign which is about we get you places.

Same in other TV spots.

Delta Airlines "Map"

The actual fact of the matter is that Delta isn’t much different than the competition in this regard, and has been inconsistent in its approach. First, Delta was about change and that change could be good. The brand promise is that change is nothing to be afraid of, which may have impact but probably just for the short term. (Which, we imagine, is what it was designed for.)

Following that was a series of spots that highlighted the people who worked at Delta, marketed under the banner that “Good Goes Around.” It was nice, but it was focused on Delta instead of who the customers are when they use the brand. It might have been more effective if it had shown passengers. That they were the ones who were "good." Instead, the spots were about “We” and not “You,” and the most successful brands (think Nike or Apple) focus on who the customer is when they use the brand and positioning that claim against the competition. (Apple’s Apple vs. PC ads, for instance, are pure strategic brilliance. If you are a PC user, you are that guy. If you are an Apple user, you are that guy. In brand marketing, Apple hit the bulls eye with a bullet.)

The fact that Delta has gone through several advertising agencies in recent years demonstrates a company looking for an answer, one they cannot get from an advertising agency. They have the opportunity to find a different and better brand position.

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