Brand Management at Singapore Airlines

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Excerpts....

The airline industry was immensely competitive, particularly so for fresh players, who found it extremely tough to compete with the more established airlines. Singapore Airlines, since its inception had tried to beat the competition by providing exceptional services. new aircraft, retrained its employees regularly, and invested in innovations. However, there were also some areas in which the airline lagged behind its rivals such as in back-office technologies. Also, it offered lower salaries to its employees than its rivals.

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Over the years, SIA had earned a reputation of being a top luxury airline, thanks to its perfectly trained staff and their services. It took various steps of brand management to get to the top. The airline differentiator, the ‘Singapore Girl’ was introduced in 1972 after the Malaysia-Singapore Airlines was split into two carriers – Malaysian Airline System and Singapore Airlines.........

In 2006, a London-based banker, Khoa C. Huynh (Huynh), after travelling by SIA for many years, developed a page for Singapore Airlines on Facebook. Huynh made an attempt to create a platform targeted at people who were curious about the airline. With zero promotional efforts, the SIA Facebook page attracted 110,000 fans. The huge number of followers signaled the customers’ support for the brand. In 2011, Huynh officially handed over his creation to SIA. This marked the deluxe airline’s much awaited and belated arrival on social media........

In 2012, in order to focus on marketing communications, SIA with its creative agency, TBWA, conducted a survey. The underlying aim of the survey was to draw the focus to attributes that differentiated SIA from other airlines. Customers of different ages, incomes, and genders were interviewed as a part of the process. The survey led to the launch of a campaign. This campaign was expected to help the airline move away from its traditional central idea of the Singapore Girl to its exceptional service commitments. .......

Over the years, the critics had been questioning the brand’s excessive reliance on the Singapore Girl, with some of them opining that the icon was outdated. The company hoped that ‘The Lengths We Go To’ campaign would silence such criticism. Moreover, it was anticipated that the campaign would reflect innovation in the marketing strategy of Singapore Airlines. As Nayak put it, “Singapore Airlines ads have always had amazing production values, and it was really important for us to maintain the quality of film that the airline has always been known for. What we wanted to do was create a fresher, more relevant, more contemporary look for the airline. .......

Exhibit I:The Iconic Singapore Girl
Exhibit II: Revenues and Expenditures of Singapore Airlines
Exhibit III:Top 10 Best Airlines in the World
Exhibit IV: Famous Campaigns of Singapore Airlines featuring Singapore Girl
Exhibit V: Visuals from ‘The Lengths We Go To” Campaign