Continental is the only brand in the market that is aligned with a meaningful current running through the market - and positioned it against the competition.
Continental increased its earnings by more than 50% in 2007 and was one of the few carriers to actually post a net income in the fourth quarter of ‘07. (Its luck didn’t hold for first quarter ’08, with a loss of $80 million, but that was far less than its main competitors.) Continental’s RPK also rose in first quarter 2008 by more than 7% over last year, the largest increase among the major carriers except for Southwest.
At Stealing Share, we believe the best brands are based on precepts, the beliefs most important to target audiences because they ultimately drive purchasing decisions. We don’t know why we buy one laundry detergent over another (because few of us have actually completed research like a lab technician) but there is something about the brands we use that says something about us and aligns itself with our belief systems. So we choose them. That’s true of cars, beer, soda and just about any consumer purchasing decision. (We just back up our decisions with seemingly rational decisions. “Well, that sports car has great mileage. It has nothing to do with how cool I feel driving it.”)
In the airline industry, what is the strongest belief right now among passengers? Answer: Service is terrible. Passenger dissatisfaction is at an all-time high and we generally believe that airlines just don’t care about us. They just care about their bottom lines.
Customer complaints rose a whopping 60% in 2007 over the previous year. In the 2007 Airline Quality Report, an annual research project conducted by Dr. Brent Bowen of the University of Nebraska and Dr. Dean Headley of Wichita State University, and using data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, “shows an industry that has declined in quality relative to customer performance criteria over the course of 2006.”
In another time or industry, good service would actually be a table stake. However, because most of us believe few to no carriers have good service - and the numbers back up that statement - Continental has aligned its brand with that belief and, most importantly, has positioned it against the market.
Take a look at this spot and notice how much it is positioned against the competition. It’s not just the belief that gets tapped (that no one cares) but also that Continental agrees with you that the other airlines are no longer making flying a pleasurable experience.
Continental Airlines "Take Away"
It's no wonder that the two airlines in the industry with brand meaning and a brand promise - the other is Southwest - are the only ones that had been stealing significant market share.
Even the print advertising is on point, and has a promise.
It recognizes that you do your job right - “Work Hard” - and are therefore deserving of finally experiencing an airline doing its job right by “flying right.”
It is single-minded and meaningful. The brand may not be built for the long haul, but it can be if it builds on that promise to something more universally believed among passengers about who they are or want to be.
Stealing Share is a brand development firm that arms its clients with the tools they need to drive competitive advantages. We conduct research and provide corporate strategy, positioning, training and brand design with one goal in mind: To steal market share for our clients.
Our experts are all about the science of persuasion, and have proven it with brands and companies all across the world. We uncover the fears and belief systems of your target audiences so your brand can align itself with them and create preference. It’s how we steal market share.
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