Emirates Launches New Global Brand Platform

Emirates has launched a new global brand platform and direction, themed "Hello Tomorrow", which positions the global airline as the enabler of global connectivity and meaningful experiences. Emirates is embarking on an integrated marketing communications campaign with a new brand promise as the company continues its evolution from a travel brand to a global lifestyle brand.

Designed for the age of consumer engagement and empowerment, "Hello Tomorrow" is about inspiring people to greet tomorrow’s unlimited potential, now. "Hello" is a greeting; an invitation to a person, a place or an experience. "Tomorrow" is a time, a place, a state of mind - the unlimited possibility of the future. Emirates is extending an invitation to try the unfamiliar, create new ideas, and form new visions. The theme encapsulates life's potential and embracing the future with all the possibilities it holds.

"Our new corporate image and global marketing campaign both underline the confidence we have in our existing products and services, and the vision we have for the future growth of the airline," said Sir Maurice Flanagan, Vice Chairman of Emirates Airline & Group. "Emirates is not just offering a way to connect people from point A to point B but is the catalyst to connect people’s hopes, dreams and aspirations."

"Emirates is connecting people and cultures creating relevant and meaningful experiences that are shaping the world," he added.

Emirates airline has grown from its early days in 1985, when it launched with just two aircraft, to its current status as one of the world’s fastest growing airlines with 171 wide-body aircraft including the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777s and A380s.  A brand synonymous with luxury and innovation, Emirates offers award-winning inflight entertainment and was the first to offer inflight telephony across all classes, individual TV screens on every seat, First Class suites and an onboard Shower Spa on its A380 aircraft. From its home base in Dubai, Emirates is geographically located within an eight hour direct flight of 75 per cent of the world's population. More distant routes like the Americas are connected to the Dubai hub with long range aircraft that fly the distance direct.

The campaign was created with Emirates lead communications partner Strawberry Frog, the world's first Cultural Movement agency. "We're building on decades of innovation in Emirates marketing to launch this new and innovative movement for the world’s most thoughtful and incredible brand," said Scott Goodson, Chairman of Strawberry Frog. "This bold next step for the brand will offer people who love the brand or want to experience the brand, inspiration to participate in this brave new world and spark new connections and experiences achieved through travel.

"The "Hello Tomorrow" campaign is at the vanguard of the trend for global brands to spark movements not simply do advertising, connecting people, communities and encouraging them to join together to make a positive impact on society," added Goodson.

The campaign launch featured print, TV and digital advertising, including some iconic billboards in New York's Times Square and Milan's central train station. A series of vibrant messages that represent the spirit of Tomorrow - Tomorrow Brings Us Closer to; New People, New Experiences, New Styles, New Friends - will bring Emirates' new vision to the marketplace. Emirates website has also been refreshed to reflect the "Hello Tomorrow" messaging.

British Airways flies newly refurbished Boeing 777-200

British Airway's customers flying on a recent Boston flight were the first to experience the airline's very latest seats and cabins following the first complete refit of one of BA's Boeing 777-200s.

The aircraft was the first of 18 to be fitted with British Airways' recently launched First cabin, new World Traveller and World Traveller Plus cabins and the airline's latest Thales in-flight entertainment system.

The multi-million pound refurbishment gives the 18 Boeing 777-200s the same contemporary interiors as British Airways' six brand new Boeing 777-300ERs.

Frank van der Post, British Airways' managing director of brands and customer experience, said: "This exciting and ambitious refit now brings our 777s right up to date, with new interiors and the very latest inflight entertainment system.

"We have had fantastic customer reaction to our new fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs, which originally showcased our new cabins, and we know those who travel on these 18 aircraft will be equally impressed with our investment.

"Customers will be able to enjoy the very best travel experience British Airways has to offer, with more comfortable seats and brighter, more contemporary cabins."

Over the next five years British Airways will be investing more than £5bn in new aircraft, smarter cabins, elegant lounges, and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground.

It takes British Airways' Cardiff-based engineers, at the airline's Welsh maintenance base, approximately a month, or 5,700 man hours, to carefully remove a 777's old seats and interiors and replace them with the airline's very latest cabins.

Each aircraft will also have a staggering 13 kilometres of wiring removed and new fibre optic cables installed to power the new in-flight entertainment system.

New widescreens will be fitted in Club World and customers flying on these refitted Boeing 777-200s will also be able to experience the airline's sophisticated new First cabin.

New seats and cabins in World Traveller Plus and World Traveller, feature the latest cushioning technology and in-seat power sockets.

The Thales in-flight entertainment system offers over 700 hours of movies, TV and music options on demand; that's more than 230 TV programmes, 70 films and 400 CDs, providing customers with 50 per cent more choice on movies and doubling the range of TV and music options, as well as plug and play technology.

Each cabin also gets bigger, high-resolution widescreens: customers in World Traveller will be able to watch TV and films on 35 per cent larger video touchscreens (now 8.9 inches); in World Traveller Plus they are 60 per cent larger (now 10.6 inches); Club World widescreens increase by 16.3 per cent (now 12.1 inches) while the new First screens increase by 275 per cent (now 15.4 inches)

Lower cost carriers should embrace loyalty, says Collinson Lattitude

Collinson Latitude, a global provider of incremental revenue and membership products, is arguing today, on the eve of the Mega Event 2011 travel industry summit, that loyalty programmes are fully compatible with the low-cost carrier (LCC) business model, and that loyalty is a vital part of differentiation for the coming generation of LCCs.

Speaking at a pre-conference expert panel session in Miami, Collinson Latitude director Janet Titterton said: “There are some people who believe Ryanair is showing the way ahead for low-cost carriers by not offering a loyalty programme. However, several factors make Ryanair an exceptional case and other low-cost carriers, including new entrants, need to incorporate loyalty strategies to ensure their profitable growth.

“Ryanair operates the purest form of the low-cost carrier strategy, devoted to delivering the lowest possible seat price. The airline then offers multiple additional ancillary revenue products to create a range of profitable add-ons. In this instance, a loyalty programme could conflict with Ryanair’s fundamental lowest-cost strategy, which is clearly extremely successful.

“However, not all LCCs are built on the Ryanair blueprint, which brings variety the market welcomes. Some airlines, such as easyJet, are successfully offering services that straddle the divide between low-cost and legacy carrier, such as bundled services for business travellers. Other airlines have inherited fleets or operational structures that impact their seat pricing strategies. These airlines, for whom rock-bottom pricing may not be an objective, must develop loyalty strategies to build lasting, mutually beneficial customer relationships.

“The really exciting opportunity for LCCs is to offer loyalty and ancillary revenue programmes that deliver relevant benefits to passengers in different aspects of their lives. While some LCCs offer discounts on their own fares, airlines should expand their offering to include non-travel ancillary opportunities. By analysing passenger data to deepen customer insights, LCCs can offer benefits that are relevant to and valued by the individual, whether through music, financial services or leisure.”

Collinson Latitude Calls For Airlines And Hotels To Focus On Value

As the travel market becomes increasingly competitive, and as loyalty becomes ever more important, Collinson Latitude is calling on airlines and hotels to act fast or risk losing customers.

A global provider of incremental revenue products, Collinson Latitude believes airlines and hotels need to think more innovatively to improve their customer engagement and retention.

Janet Titterton, director at Collinson Latitude, says: “There are many rapid, low-cost ways to maintain the loyalty of the customers you hold, but the travel industry has not yet realised the potential of these opportunities.

"Superior customer service and relevant customer experiences remain key, but you can also increase your customers’ engagement with your brand by providing them with value for money or passing back value derived from your brand buying power. This ‘value exchange’ will enable differentiation and keep your brand top of mind. A long-term, profitable relationship will follow.

“The flexibility of travel loyalty programmes is also key to their success. The market is constantly evolving, so airlines and hotels need adaptive strategies to offer programme flexibility that meets changing market dynamics and customer needs.

“Furthermore, travel companies can apply the best e-commerce thinking to increase the value of their loyalty currency. Take Amazon.com, for example. The company is well-known for providing recommendations based on a previous purchase. Such targeting can be matched by airlines and hotels providing multiple redemption offers – tailored to customer behaviour – to provide customers with ‘everyday benefit’ for their engagement.

“Collinson Latitude is today launching a campaign www.latitudeignite.com to advise travel organisations how to achieve more active, loyal and profitable customers for life. In the past, traditional reward programmes have often been expensive to set up and run, so travel companies are now looking for the kind of flexible, sustainable and cost-effective options we offer.

“From an airline or hotel operator’s perspective, improving the quality and consistency of engagement with customers is a priority. Intelligent airlines, for example, offer frequent flyer programmes (FFPs) with lifestyle rewards far beyond traditional air travel redemptions. Indeed, even the means of earning miles is no longer limited to air travel, and can be achieved through non-travel-related products and services, increasing the opportunity to earn loyalty currency for everyday behaviour. However, the ability to redeem this currency is often restricted by low availability, demanding that loyalty programmes need to offer customers more choice in how they can realise their rewards.

“Airlines are also eager to see customers redeem miles for financial reasons, because complex accountancy auditing guidelines mean unexpired miles represent deferred revenue, which the airline can only release once the miles are redeemed. Alongside the benefit of building customer relationships, FFP managers therefore have a high financial incentive to encourage customers to exploit the full range of redemption opportunities.

“The end result is that customers enjoy regular benefits across many aspects of their lives while the airline or hotel operator enjoys increased financial gain.”

Collinson Latitude’s multi-channel products can be seamlessly integrated into an existing airline or hotel loyalty programme. Capitalising on the proven and growing popularity of online shopping is a particularly strong route to customer retention. ‘RewardAll’, for example, is a merchant-funded online shopping and rewards programme that brings together thousands of diverse online merchants globally, so that each time a customer makes a purchase through the ‘Reward All’ portal, they can earn hotel loyalty points or airline miles. To complement loyalty programmes, ‘iRedeem’ is an online redemption solution that allows loyalty programme members to redeem their loyalty currency across a catalogue of diverse travel, lifestyle and leisure rewards.

Collinson Latitude’s parent company, The Collinson Group, has over 20 years’ experience in loyalty, marketing and membership. The Collinson Group also includes the world’s leading global loyalty agency, ICLP, who partner with global airline and hotel brands to build loyalty and customer relationship programmes.