American Airlines Rebrand - Lipstick on a Pig

American Airlines Rebrand – Lipstick on a Pig

By Sam Fiorella | Sensei Perspective | 3 comments | 21 January, 2013 | 0

American Airlines, the embattled airline currently fighting for its life through bankruptcy protection, announced it will be updating their fleet’s look with a slick coat of silver mica paint, new tail design and an updated logo.

Huh?

Given the airline’s well publicized issues with computer failures, cancelled flights, safety issues and labor strife, is a coat of a paint really going to impact your purchase decision next time you go search for a flight?

Customer experience once again takes a back seat to cosmetic slight-of-hand marketing tactics. I’m not sure what the cost of this fleet make-over is but I would argue that that same investment would go further if dedicated to improving the experience customers have with the airline.

I cannot argue the value of design in the public’s perception of a brand; however, I can argue that addressing the customer experience criticisms swirling around the socialsphere would serve the airline better. Below is a short video post expressing my thoughts on American Airline’s decision. Take a moment to listen and let me know if you agree or disagree with my analysis.

Too often, customer experience takes a back seat to other more controllable marketing tactics, and that seems to the be case here. Some will argue that it’s a short cut or a short-term measure, buy some time till the bigger issues can be effectively resolved. I can understand this argument, sometimes a suffering business just needs a lifeline, such a the bankruptcy protection act American Airlines is currently benefiting from. A re-branding might be a cost-effective lifeline until it can get the rest of its service issues in check. However, some corresponding customer experience improvements must be bundled in – and advertised with – the re-branding efforts to properly address the concerns of current and prospective customers.

Otherwise, it’s just lipstick on a pig.

Join the discussion! Is this effort too little too late for American Airlines? Is the investment well placed? Agree/Disagree.

Sam Fiorella
Feed Your Community, Not Your Ego

branding, Customer Experience, Sam Rants, Sensei Perspective

Sam Fiorella

Sam Fiorella is a Partner here at Sensei Marketing, a consulting and technology firm focused on aiding global companies grow their business value through improved customer experiences. Professionally, Sam has also co-authored: Influence Marketing: How To Create, Manage and Measure Brand Advocates and is a Professor of Marketing at Seneca College and an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers Center for Management Development. Sam is also the co-founder of YellowIsForHello, a not-for-profit corporation that seeks to decrease the rate of suicide among students through peer-to-peer connections.