Airlines marketing

BY- S M MUJAHIDUL ALAM
DEPUTY MANAGER
BANGLADESH PARJATAN CORPORATION
FORMER HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT
TRAVEL AND TOURISM, NHTTI

1. AIRLINE MARKETING & MANAGEMENT

2. MARKETING DEFINED ‘ Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, a nticipating and satisfying customer requirement profitably’

3. Marketing & Selling There is a popular misconception when defining the word ‘marketing’. It often thought that the word ‘marketing’ and ‘selling’ are synonomous. They are not . Selling is the final stage in the marketing process. ‘Marketing’ is a way of describing a total philosophy for running business.

4. Component Of The Marketing Process A first and frequently used way to looking at the hole marketing process is the so-called ‘marketing mix’ or ‘4Ps’ of marketing- Product, Price , Place & Promotion Although the ‘4Ps’ model is widely used, and also valuable in the airline industry but it is not sufficient to provide a complete framework to describe the activities which airline must undertake in order to apply the principles of marketing.

5. Airline Marketing Process Customer and market analysis Marketing environment Marketing strategy Product development Pricing Distribution Selling

6. Customer and Market Analysis In order to do so, carriers must begin with a rigorous process of customer and market analysis. They must answer the question ` What business are we in?’ and identify the customers in those business whom they wish to serve. They must then dedicate great effort to understanding these customers in terms of their demographics and their needs and wants from the product. Their analysis must be undertaken for today’s market. Every attempt must be made to understand possible future changes in customer requirements, because of the dynamic nature of aviation market-place.

7. Marketing environment No Airlines can hope to be successful unless it conducts a parallel process of investigation into its marketing environment- the back ground against which its marketing activity will take place. This process must encompass both the business and regulatory conditions prevailing in the market place , and also the nature and actions of actual and potential competitors.

8. Airlines Marketing Strategy

9. Marketing strategy Once customer are understood and the marketing environment known, airlines are in a position to plot their marketing strategy. Effective Airline Marketing Strategies- Distinguish the Brand Position Your Market Be Competitive About Loyalty What Is Your Pricing Strategy? Where Can You Save? Go Direct How Do People Benefit? Promote the Community Be Consistent

10. Airline Marketing Strategies: Distinguish the Brand In a highly competitive market, you’ve got to be quickly identified by your customer base. Your best strength is what will distinguish you from the other airlines that serve similar areas of the population base. Whether it’s low fares, higher flight frequencies, or the ability to service non-stop flights to regional airports in addition to major hubs, what you do that no one else does is how you’ll be able to be recognized.

11. Limit your costs by positioning your market with a cost-efficient, limited market position. You don’t have to try to please everyone. You’ve got to work on pleasing your target demographics that are attracted to what distinguishes your brand. This can be accomplished in a number of different ways: singular aircraft types, faster ground crew turns, or a high percentage of on-time flights is just the start of what you could accomplish. Airline Marketing Strategies: Position Your Market

12. Many airline travelers will focus on a low-cost fare first, but the second focus is on brand loyalty. In order to create loyalty, you’ve got to create relationships on an individualized basis. People don’t want vouchers or discounts or apologies for missed flights. They want to have world class customer service that treats them like a human being. They want empathy, not money. Airline Marketing Strategies: Be Competitive About Loyalty

13. Think about the margins of profitability that you actually need for true success. Do you need to have a lot of liquid cash on-hand or is it there already? How much do you need to charge for expenses and administrative overhead? By keeping tighter margins, you’ll be able to price your tickets more competitively. That in itself is a powerful marketing solution that will garner a lot of attention. Airline Marketing Strategies: What Is Your Pricing Strategy?

14. Operating costs are the #1 driver of higher ticket prices in this industry. What can you do to cut down on these costs? Even just the effort of communicating an effort to reduce costs will provide your airline’s brand with a marketing boost. Airline Marketing Strategies: Where Can You Save?

15. Any time you’ve got middlemen in the way of the purchasing process, you’re going to have costs passed along to a consumer in some way. Work on marketing in a B2C way instead of using intermediaries and you’ll accomplish two benefits that will attract a lot of attention to your brand: you’ll lower costs and you’ll build B2C relationships that will help to reinforce the loyalty that you want to have. Airline Marketing Strategies: Go Direct

16. Getting from Point A to Point B quickly is just one benefit that the airline industry can provide. What other conveniences are you able to offer? Do you have relationships with rental car agencies or hotels that can give people additional discounts? Can people earn flight miles for free tickets or other rewards? Find out what your target demographics want and then find a way to incorporate that into your overall marketing strategy. Airline Marketing Strategies: How Do People Benefit?

17. Sometimes the best promotion isn’t the flight to a destination, but what can be done at that destination. What can people do once they fly to a chosen spot that your airline serves? Are there any unique features about that destination that add value to the ticket that someone might purchase? This kind of co-op marketing will often pay off because you’ll get added support from the destination when they see what they’re doing. Airline Marketing Strategies: Promote the Community

18. Consistency counts more than experience. If you provide a quality flight time after time, then people are willing to book tickets. If you have 80 years of experience, but there’s a 6 out of 10 chance that a customer will be late at their destination or have a delay in the process, then there’s a good chance your airline will be bypassed – even for a more expensive flight in many instances. Airline Marketing Strategies: Be Consistent

19. Marketing Mix in Airline Industry