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Case Study: Major Airline CarriersSouthwest
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Southwest has been one of the most interesting and unique brands in the market for the last few years, staking out a position that the larger airlines can’t claim: That they are inexpensive.
What’s remarkable about Southwest is that it has executed the brand so successfully that its profits increase every year - an almost 30% increase from 2006 to 2007 and an increase in RPK by 7.1%. It was the only carrier of the ones we examined that didn’t post a loss in first quarter 2008, marking Southwest’s 68th straight profitable quarter.
Southwest is more than just the low-cost leader. Its brand tells you that, as you all may have heard, “You are now free to move about the country.”
Its a populist brand that says because you spend less with us, you are now free to fly when and where you couldn’t before (because it was too expensive). You can now afford it.
Southwest "Last Day"
Fitting into its position that you can now afford to fly is a humorous approach that, in some cases, emphasizes situations in which you want to fly. Humor is often an overused aspect of brand marketing. Too often it feels just clever and just outright unfunny. What’s funny to you may not be funny to me, and vice versa. Also, it’s not the right approach unless the feel of your brand is already aligned with it.
Humor wouldn’t be right for a financial company or even an airline like United because it wouldn’t match the promise of the brand. Humor can seem flippant if used with a brand that deals with more serious emotions. (And, frankly, most meaningful brands use humor, if needed, selectively.)
However, Southwest’s brand does fit the humorous approach because it’s a brand for the people. For those who just want to get from Point A to Point B and don’t care about the flying experience. They just want to go.
For us, one of the most effective spots in Southwest’s “Wanna Get Away?” campaign, is the one below. Pay close attention the setup - the husband’s eye-rolling coming out of the car - and the final expression in the payoff. It’s a fine creative execution of a brand that says you want to fly too, not just the people like your neighbors who can afford it.
