Fly the Unfriendly Skies

As a constant living-the-brand fanatic, I have to post about a recent experience on a United Airlines flight from IAD to ORD last Thursday. When I boarded, Maurice -- the famous-in-certain-circles dude from the United safety video (everyone who flies would recognize him, I swear) -- and two of his counterparts were seated in the row immediately in front of me. Even though they were passengers, they all wore their United uniforms complete with yellow striping on the shoulders. Fame in our midst!

At the end of the flight, as we were descending to O'Hare, the father seated next to me pulled a travel bag out from under the seat in front of him, gathered his two little daughters' electronics, dolls and books from across the aisle and started packing. Without prompting, the United employee seated directly in front of him totally freaked out and laid into him about bumping his seat. The dad quietly apologized and explained that he was just trying to pack his kids' stuff before landing. The United employee angrily responded, "Don't hit my seat again."

I was oddly shaken. Sure, I don't know what's going on in this guy's life. Maybe he has long-standing anger management issues or possibly he's just having a difficult time right now.  But a lashing like that from anyone, especially someone in uniform, is totally unmerited.

As we stood to deplane, I fully expected this guy to apologize. Something along the lines of, "I'm really sorry about my outburst. I've had a rough day and didn't mean to take it out on you" would have gone a long way to repairing the incident. Instead, he just walked away. I also hoped that Maurice, a somewhat high profile brand ambassador, would have had the dignity, integrity and chops to speak up.

United breaks more than guitars -- they break all the rules of brand and social etiquette. So much for the Friendly Skies.

That Was Easy

My obsession with living ones corporate brand continues. Today: An unplanned visit to Staples to buy invitations for an upcoming client-related seminar.

After searching the envelope/office supplies section, I asked Customer Service for help. A guy stocking shelves, overhearing my request, came running up. "Are you the lady who called? I can help." He then led me to the right section, helped me pick the appropriate products, carried my boxes to checkout and thanked me for my business. I said, "No, thank YOU. You made it so easy."

No joke. He pointed to the sign on the wall and asked me, "What does that say?"

Staples. That was easy.

I'll be darned. It was. And I'm glad he pointed it out! A+

Detroit Schlock City

This is not your father's Oldsmobile.



But it sure does look like one, right?

Does Volkswagen think their target market (i.e., me) rounded the bend on middle age and now wants to merge onto the highway going 20 mph?

As the proud driver of both a Jetta and Passat (and recipient of the VW promotional email containing the above image), I'm just not ready to trade up to a Pink Champale colored sedan and drive for 50 miles with my left turn signal on. I don't care what cultural anthropologists may think: I'm also not ready to wear mid-calf, black, trouser socks with high-waisted shorts while mowing the lawn.

I understand the need to attract new audiences but toward what demographic exactly is this geared? That small percentage of the population that is disenfranchised with the perceived poor quality of the US automakers but still wants an ugly car? Someone seeking German engineering coupled with a retro 1990s Detroit design?

That someone clearly ain't me.

The Art of Driving

In honor of my recent vow to limit the complaining, I thought I would use this post as a recommendation of sorts.

Counsel: If you're driving a car that showcases your company's logo, you should treat other vehicles on the road with respect. Speeding, weaving in and out of traffic and repeatedly forcing other drivers to slam on their brakes to avoid you don't serve your brand well.

Alternate suggestion: If you own a company with a fleet of branded vehicles, hire your drivers wisely. In addition to their traffic safety records, you may want to check their sunny dispositions.

As I read recently about London's famous Pret A Manger, “You can’t hire someone who can make sandwiches and teach them to be happy, so we hire happy people and teach them to make sandwiches."

So simple. Yet so true.

I Love British Airways . . . Still

I spend a great portion of my days lately writing business plans for companies from fledgling start-ups to new divisions of major companies. And, in so doing, I think a lot about brand positioning and differentiation. Why chose this company and not its competitors? I take on the role of the decision makers, influencers and end users across the various markets and ask myself, “What’s in it for me?” Sometimes the answer is fairly simple; other times, it takes sustained concentration and I still have difficulty.

I also think a lot about brand loyalty. After someone becomes a customer, what would encourage them to buy repeatedly? Or, more importantly, never buy again from their competitors? Or, best case, tell their friends about the brand? In my life, there are few brands I’m loyal to. I pretty consistently eat Lean Cuisine for lunch but not always. I get bored. I love my Jetta so much that we bought a Passat wagon a few years ago. But, until Chrysler hired my militant friend, Bob Nardelli, I was considering looking at the Jeep Liberty next. No deal now. And, let’s face it, although I buy them a lot, I’m rarely talking about Tampax at dinner parties. Well, at least not until the plates have been cleared.

We have one client who targets their customers’ children with fun, educational events to get them involved in their company at a young age so that when later in life these kids are successful, they will hopefully equate a portion of their achievement to this brand, utilize its services and tell their other accomplished friends to do the same. The jury is out for another 10–20 years regarding the ultimate success of this program; however, it does promote goodwill with the parents today.

This got me thinking about one of the most fun, brand experiences I had as a child. I was given a hardcover flight-log from BOAC (now British Airways) on my first trip to London. From that flight on, for years until it became embarrassing, I had all of the pilots on my flights sign their autographs and log how many miles I had flown on the given day/route. I loved it. I was often asked if I wanted to go up into the cockpit and meet the pilots but was usually too shy to do so. However, with this book came two other things: 1) a bronze pin of a plane that I cherished and 2) the promise of an interview with the company when I was old enough to become a flight attendant (a.k.a. hostess, stewardess). And, yes, the thought of becoming a flight attendant was pretty darned exciting to me back then.

Although I never took them up on it, I did think about my childhood experience when I flew British Airways last summer. The individual responsible for that campaign circa 1974 was, I’m guessing, long gone from the company. I wondered: if I asked, would BA honor my request for an interview? Probably (although I’m sure they would have gotten a bigger laugh out of it). But, in reality, did it entice me to fly BA 30+ years later? No, my frequent flyer miles did. It did, however, predispose me to think positive thoughts about the airline which, in this day and age, is a difficult feat.

So my hats off to British Airways for creating a sustainable brand experience for one little girl to share with her clients 30+ years later.