Let your brand soar
BOTH AIRLINES’ CORE PRODUCT IS THE FLIGHT ITSELF, BUT IT’S THE PERIPHERAL SERVICES AND PRODUCTS THAT ELEVATE ONE ABOVE THE OTHER IN TERMS OF PERCEPTION.
OFTEN when we think about a brand, we picture their visual identity; their logo, colours or even a popular advert.
But, while doing this, we will also subconsciously develop a series of beliefs about what that brand stands for or what it offers to consumers.
You may align with a brand that provides great customer service, a luxury lifestyle and superior quality but equally depending on the product or service, you could align with another brand which is cheap and cheerful, with no frills and delivers average quality.
From a branding perspective, neither of these opposing views are a bad thing.
If your brand has purposely positioned itself to be attractive for its ideal customer, then it’s working hard for you.
If we consider the aviation industry, for example, there is a choice of airlines who essentially provide the same thing, i.e. they fly travellers from point A to point B.
The key differences which influence your decision are usually price and service.
At the cheaper end of the Australian scale, Tigerair offers a ‘no frills’, travel option with all additional services still available, but at an extra charge.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is Qantas, who promise to deliver a higher quality service with add-ons included as standard.
Passengers can usually expect to pay a higher price to fly with Qantas.
Both airlines’ core product is the flight itself, but it’s the peripheral services and products that elevate one above the other in terms of perception.
Both brands have positioned themselves differently to appeal to two unique subsets within this group.
An important point demonstrated in the airline industry is something we call ‘hygiene factors’. These are a basic set of attributes that customers and consumers expect.
The absence of them can dramatically reduce sales.
If safety is a core service then the following could be considered hygiene factors:
Quality – if the product or service doesn’t work, it’s unlikely to have a long lifespan.
Innovation – Customers are less interested in innovation, but more concerned about better value.
Reputable – nice to know, but if you’ve got a great reputation built on decades of heritage, yet the product or service hasn’t evolved to meet the demands of consumers, it doesn’t really mean very much.
The point I’m trying to make here is not to expect your brand to excel in differentiating itself from your competitors if your positioning is based on hygiene factors.
When it comes to brand positioning, you need to dig deeper to understand what customers and consumers value, what their unmet needs are, what their perception of you and your competitors is, and how to fill unmet needs.
It is vital for businesses to focus on the attributes of their products and services to highlight the value they provide, while delivering consistent and coherent communication, and ensure they are reinforced.