Wednesday 10th February:
A more down-to-earth airline
South African low-fare airline kulula.com recently unveiled a brand new livery. One of their Boeing 737-86N (ZS-ZWP / OK-PIK), called ‘Flying 101’ is covered with amusing quips and details about the plane.
The captain’s window is marked with ‘the big cheese – captain, my captain!’, the co-pilot’s window with ‘co-captain’ – the other pilot on the PA system’ and the jump seat is for wannabe pilots. This is a really clever way of engaging passengers, attracting attention and new custom – and for de-mystifying the usually quite mysterious world of air travel.
In addition, the following descriptions of plane parts can be found:
Galley (cuppa anyone?)
Avionics (fancy navigation stuff)
Windows (best view in the world)
Wing #1 and #2
Engine #1 and #2 (26 000 pounds of thrust)
Emergency exit = throne zone (more leg room, baby)
Seats (better than taxi seats)
Some windows = kulula fans (the coolest peeps in the world)
Black box (which is actually orange)
Back door (no bribery/corruption here)
Tail (featuring an awesome logo)
Loo (or mile-high club initiation chamber)
Rudder (the steering thingy)
Stabiliser (the other steering thingy)
ZS-ZWP (OK-PIK) = secret agent code (aka plane’s registration)
Front door (our door is always open … unless we’re at 41 000 feet)
Cockpit window = sun roof
Ref. http://blog.flightstory.net/1472/kulula-air-with-new-funny-livery/
Tagged with: Airline, Brand identity, Brand language, Transport
Tuesday 24th November:
Extra, extra, extra
Back in the golden age of flying, you paid your fare and then got on and enjoyed the service. Nowadays you can be charged extra for basics like having luggage, switching seats and wanting a cuppa, never mind a cheese sarnie. It starts to feel as if getting on a plane means being taken for a ride in more ways than one. As airfare extras multiply, the pain points of flying are reaching a tipping point that is no longer about the peanuts, but basic principles like simplicity, flexibility, logic and reward.
People are looking for a common sense approach to pricing. In a recent 72-hour promotion, Southwest Airlines brought back fares from the short-shorts and go-go boots days. Crucially, they were based on mileage rather than airline margin. Here’s hoping others follow suit.
Ref. http://blog.iconoculture.com/2009/11/17/flying-the-unfriendly-skies/
Tagged with: Airlines, Pricing Promotions, Transport, Travel
Wednesday 11th November:
Mid-flight tweet
Lufthansa has found an innovative way to get its name pinged around the web. Through its free MySkyStatus service, fliers can sign up for flight status updates to be posted automatically to their Facebook or Twitter profiles. Available for flights on any airline, passengers enter their flight details and Facebook or Twitter login details beforehand, and MySkyStatus will post regular updates about their departure, altitude, location and arrival as they travel. Besides providing social media addicts with a cool new trick, MySkyStatus reminds us of FlightCaster for the helping hand it gives anyone expecting the arrival of a friend or co-worker.
MySkyStatus taps into two growing consumer trends: the whole world is engaged in ongoing conversations that smart brands can be part of, and ‘real-time’ is becoming an integral element of many products and services we use. In using this as a marketing tool (a short ‘powered by Lufthansa’ is tacked on to every update), the airline smartly chose to open MySkyStatus to people flying with any airline, thereby initiating conversations that its competitors might not be part of.
Ref. http://www.trendbird.co.kr/3062
Tagged with: Social networking, Transport
Tuesday 13th October:
Reinventing the (penny farthing) wheel
YikeBike have brought back the penny-farthing to demonstrate how smart technology can help people enjoy our increasingly stressful cities again. (Cheers, Signor Mino.)
The mini-farthing concept, and its expression, the Yikebike, was created by a bunch of successful entrepreneurs, engineers and dreamers, and aims to dramatically improve urban transport and give city dwellers a fast, safe, easy way to get around. It uses state-of-the-art technology, engineering and industrial design to create a new class of personal transport.
Thursday 8th October:
A new meaning for the phrase, ‘destination branding’
Pop-up retail is nothing new but Planeshop is turning the idea on its head. They’re opening a permanent store in Glasgow Airport which will then periodically be taken over by a different brand.
The brainchild of the founder of Vacant, which was probably the first ever pop-up store, Planeshop is billed as ‘a permanent shop with a flexible retailing concept’. Brands will take over the store for a limited time, and will be able to change the shop’s exterior graphics to match their identity. Currently, people are invited to vote for the brands they’d most like to see in the space.
No word yet on how long each brand will stay in place, but once that time is up, another brand will move in and take over, ensuring that there’s always something new to see in the store. Also available at Planeshop will be Planemix, a downloadable selection of global digital music tracks that rotate each month, and ‘Foodflight’, a selection of tapas and sangria for takeout or in-store dining.
Planeshop’s flexible retail concept is patent-pending, the company says, and it seems safe to assume that brands are currently lining up for a spot in the store’s rotating roster.
Ref. http://www.springwise.com/retail/planeshop/
Tagged with: airports, Pop-up retail, Transport
Tuesday 6th January:
How can your brand play to its strengths and remain true to itself instead of giving in to all the doom and gloom that’s around?
Think like Harley-Davidson which offers a contrary point of view with its ‘We don’t do fear’ campaign!
Some might say this irresponsible, but others say it’s brilliant to seize on the moment and offer a ‘screw it’ counter point that’s so true to the brand and its readership.
It’s brave and gutsy, just like the brand.
Ref. Infux Insights
Tagged with: Transport, Travel
Thursday 18th December:
How to help people manage their budgets
Think like Swiss start-up Taxmobil which is about to offer unlimited taxi use for a flat-rate charge of EUR 48 a month. Customers will be able to buy a Taxmobil card online or from sales points around the city, and can call for a car to pick them up at whatever time they choose, travelling to any destination in the city. If two strangers are travelling in the same direction, Taxmobil may combine their journeys.
http://www.taxmobil.ch/cms/front_content.php
The key to Taxmobil’s strategy is the fact that it doesn’t own the cars it uses. Instead, it buys the time of idle taxis that are already out and about, creating a service that’s affordable and convenient for customers, and could decrease congestion and parking problems if city dwellers trade in their cars for a Taxmobil card.
Böblingen in Southern Germany is likely to be the first town offering the service, starting early 2009, with other towns across Europe to follow. Travel is only permitted within a city, although members will be able to catch a taxi in other participating cities, too. As well as expanding the service’s reach, Taxmobil will soon be extending its package options by complementing its standard EUR 48 subscription with cards for businesses and families. Discounts and member benefits will be made possible with the cards in future, too.
Ref. Springwise