Has Qantas damaged Brand Australia?
November 13, 2011 Leave a Comment
The idea of grounding an airline in today’s world of interconnectedness sounds like the stuff a Jeffrey Archer or Ken Follett block buster is made of. If this was a case study you would probably be critical of its authenticity. But that’s exactly what Alan Joyce (CEO) did with Qantas and the debate now is whether his actions have damaged Brand Australia?
In asking the question I wonder if we aren’t confusing two things here: brand identity and brand image?
The ‘problem’ for Qantas is an identity one – a fight for the soul of the airline.
Either it is a commercial enterprise run along commercial principles or it is a national airline with nationalist tendencies …. including a staff cost irreconcilable to a competitive environment.
Fix the identity problem and the image will be fixable.
Leave the identity issue unresolved and no amount of money or spin will pull a brand out of a death spiral that will end with a hard landing (ok weak pun but you get the point?).
I think Qantas will become a classic case study of how a CEO (with the unqualified support of his Board) can wrestle back the identity of a brand and go on to fix the fall out and crisis in image that Qantas no doubt feels right now.
Although$20m in free flights, and a no nonsense refund of costs associated with the decision to ground the airline, will go a long way to resolving an image problem even of this magnitude.
And as for those customers who swear they will never fly Qantas again?
They will be at the head of the queue for one of those freebies.




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