The airline industry is puzzling. Many would consider the ability to fly an incredible luxury. Airplanes give you the ability to meet friends and family for holidays, to travel the world, or to vacation anywhere. Others would consider airplanes a necessity. They are needed to travel to and from work, to meet clients in Hong Cong, to deliver goods to developing countries. So this is what I don’t understand: how an industry that is both a luxury and a necessity is failing to make any money.
The answer, I suppose, is that the airline industry is both capital intensive and labor intensive. They rely on extremely expensive machines that need frequent repairs and a lot of maintenance. And there are hundreds of people ensuring that each flight goes according to plan, well, at least as best they can. Furthermore, airfare prices are incredibly dependent on fuel prices. YIKES!
And, how can an airline compete when fuel prices are skyrocketing and consumer income levels are dropping? How can an airline make customers believe that the service they are providing today is actually worth two hundred dollars more than the same service they provided at Thanksgiving last year? There has to be a way that airlines can add to the perceived value of a flight.
It all comes down to the customer experience, beginning with the level of service they provide. So, I started thinking about the most important things when I travel.
1.) Take off on time. There are few things that are more annoying then boarding an aircraft 30 minutes before a scheduled departure time, and then sitting at the gate for an extra hour while someone is dillydadying around with the engine. I love that they are keeping me safe, but isn’t this something they could have addressed while I was trying to kill an hour waiting for my flight to board. After all, I was instructed to get there at least two hours before my flight and security surprisingly only took 20 minutes today! I’d appreciate faster maintenance on the ground; whether that means more or brighter mechanics, I’m not sure.
2.) Don’t lose my baggage! There is nothing that screams "I'm never flying on American again!" more than if they lose my bags!
3.) Cheap. No matter what, I’m always going to look for the cheapest fair. But I think that is just because no airline has jumped out at me and caught my attention enough to say: "Hey! The guy over there WILL get you to Chicago, but he WON'T do it as safe, as efficiently, as hassle-free as I will!" That might just be worth the extra penny!
4.) If bad weather is coming or they are expecting a delay...let me know before I leave my hotel/house. If I'm vacationing in New York City and my plane is going to be two hours late, I'd rather have those two hours to enjoy the beauty of central park than the inside of terminal E at Newark.
Maybe my requests are a little too much to ask. But I think that airlines need to significantly consider ways to improve their systems. A first mover in this industry could seriously benefit from an innovation that put them ahead of the others. Otherwise, it's looking like we may be searching for new ways to travel as the airline industry continues to lose. But I don't know if any of us are really ready to let go of our flying freedom.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Blog 6. A Blog about a Blog
A Blog about a Blog. An interesting concept to say the least. I honestly have not got caught up in the whole “Blog phenomenon” until I started writing this one for class.
Blogs are completely different than journals because they are not only for the eyes of the author. I think that when we write things that we know others are going to read, we use a subconscious filter. Although blogs allow us to express our ideas, thoughts, and opinions, they also give us an opportunity to show ourselves in a light that we’d like to be seen in. Blogging allows authors to become someone they are not when authors create a persona for their blog.
This makes blogs both a good and a bad source for gaining insights into the customers mind. From one point of view you think you can learn a lot about the superficial ideas and thoughts of consumers.
The topic I researched on “blogsearch” was the Mercedes Smart Car. I have recently taken my name off the waiting list for the Smart Car after going back and forth on the purchase decision for several months. I want to see what other consumers thought about the car to help in my post non-purchasing process.
J-Bigg had some interesting things to say about the smart car in his blog called “The Starving Artist Speaks”. Other than wanting to “shoot [the car owner] squarely in the teeth,” he mentioned how much he hates the car by explaining that “the few dollars [he’d] save on gas [isn’t] worth [him] looking like a b!@$# in an Urkel car.” Immediately, I begin making my assumptions about this “J-Bigg” character. I see that he is concerned with his image because he doesn’t want to be seen in a funny looking car, and this conclusion leads me to believe that he is also creating an image for himself in his blog.
He has so many bad things to say about the car, but a lot of it is more of the reflection of how is own views clash with the cars purpose. He understands that it gets great mileage and helps save the environment, but to him, he doesn’t care about things that will happen after he dies.
This blog shows a perfect example of why it is important to know your target market. If you can classify bloggers like J-Bigg into different segments, you can hypothesis about what you’d hope they would say about your product and then compare to what they actually say about your product. You can use this as a test to see if you are meeting there needs and wants like you planned. In this case, we can guess that a non-environmentalist, very self-image obsessed consumer would not be interested in the Smart Car. And the blog confirms that assumption.
The other blog I read concerning Smart Cars was Chuck Doud, writer for the Madera Tribune. He explained his experience driving past a smart car on the highway. He noted its incredible speed capabilities, but also how unsafe it looked. He explained having a discussion with his adult kids about smart cars. They seem more interested in the Smart Car because it is eco-friendly and saves oil.
It is interesting how many consumers have opinions about a product they don’t own and maybe have never even used. Both reviewers of the Smart Car had so much to say about something that that they hadn’t given a chance themselves.
Marketers can look at these insights and see possible fears or issues their potential customers have with their product. That way, companies can design marketing plans that address those fears.
Marketers should also look for common themes and trends in blogs about their products. They should address the negative themes and reinforce the positive feedback because it has obviously already created a buzz of its own.
Blogs are completely different than journals because they are not only for the eyes of the author. I think that when we write things that we know others are going to read, we use a subconscious filter. Although blogs allow us to express our ideas, thoughts, and opinions, they also give us an opportunity to show ourselves in a light that we’d like to be seen in. Blogging allows authors to become someone they are not when authors create a persona for their blog.
This makes blogs both a good and a bad source for gaining insights into the customers mind. From one point of view you think you can learn a lot about the superficial ideas and thoughts of consumers.
The topic I researched on “blogsearch” was the Mercedes Smart Car. I have recently taken my name off the waiting list for the Smart Car after going back and forth on the purchase decision for several months. I want to see what other consumers thought about the car to help in my post non-purchasing process.
J-Bigg had some interesting things to say about the smart car in his blog called “The Starving Artist Speaks”. Other than wanting to “shoot [the car owner] squarely in the teeth,” he mentioned how much he hates the car by explaining that “the few dollars [he’d] save on gas [isn’t] worth [him] looking like a b!@$# in an Urkel car.” Immediately, I begin making my assumptions about this “J-Bigg” character. I see that he is concerned with his image because he doesn’t want to be seen in a funny looking car, and this conclusion leads me to believe that he is also creating an image for himself in his blog.
He has so many bad things to say about the car, but a lot of it is more of the reflection of how is own views clash with the cars purpose. He understands that it gets great mileage and helps save the environment, but to him, he doesn’t care about things that will happen after he dies.
This blog shows a perfect example of why it is important to know your target market. If you can classify bloggers like J-Bigg into different segments, you can hypothesis about what you’d hope they would say about your product and then compare to what they actually say about your product. You can use this as a test to see if you are meeting there needs and wants like you planned. In this case, we can guess that a non-environmentalist, very self-image obsessed consumer would not be interested in the Smart Car. And the blog confirms that assumption.
The other blog I read concerning Smart Cars was Chuck Doud, writer for the Madera Tribune. He explained his experience driving past a smart car on the highway. He noted its incredible speed capabilities, but also how unsafe it looked. He explained having a discussion with his adult kids about smart cars. They seem more interested in the Smart Car because it is eco-friendly and saves oil.
It is interesting how many consumers have opinions about a product they don’t own and maybe have never even used. Both reviewers of the Smart Car had so much to say about something that that they hadn’t given a chance themselves.
Marketers can look at these insights and see possible fears or issues their potential customers have with their product. That way, companies can design marketing plans that address those fears.
Marketers should also look for common themes and trends in blogs about their products. They should address the negative themes and reinforce the positive feedback because it has obviously already created a buzz of its own.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Blog 5. Ideal Friend Connections
"If the world worked exactly the way I wanted it to, here's how time connecting with my friends would look/feel/be..."
My first thought was football. Ideally, everyday would be Sunday, and I would watch about nine hours of football with my friends and family. I can’t think of a better way to connect with people than when you are rooting for the same team. You experience every emotion together because when your team does good, you feel good together, and when your team does bad, you can cry on each others shoulders. In my photo collogue I included a picture of Tom Brady in the Super Bowl because this is one of my favorite events of the year. This is the day when even non-football fans will agree to celebrate the sport over a pot of queso and a bag of Tostidos. I also included a picture of “college football” because I love going to Longhorn football games with my friends. Finally, I included a quote about my favorite professional team, because ideally, all of my friends would be Texans fans.
Also in my photo collogue, I have several pictures of friends laughing together. In my opinion, this is one of the most important aspects of a friendship. The first time I laugh with someone, I feel like I have bonded with them. Again, it relates to experiencing the same emotion. Plus, laughing is fun, and I love to laugh with people. I even love when people laugh at me because it is a signal that we are enjoying each others’ company.
I added pictures of sand volleyball and tennis because I love being active with friends. In both of these sports you can not play without at least one other person. Some of my favorite memories in high school and college are from ultimate Frisbee or mud football games. Also in college, I have loved playing intramural sports. Ideally, I would have the opportunity to be on a sports team with all of my friends. When friends compete together, you immediately connect with each other because you are working towards the same goal. Also, you want friends on your team to perform well, and it is fun to set up victories for them.
The picture of the Ferrari and the mustang convertible stress the “ideal” aspect of this collogue. As much as I would love to be carpooling in one of these sports cars, it doesn’t really matter when you are riding with your friends. Times spent in cars, whether on road trips or just on the way to school, are often some of the best times with friends. I love playing games in cars or listening to music really loud with the windows rolled down. Carpooling is not only good for the environment but also good for a friendship.
I added several pictures and words about nature and conserving the environment. I love enjoying Mother Nature with my friends. If I were going on a hike, I’d rather do it with someone than by myself. I think that nature is way more enjoyable when you have someone to enjoy it with. For some reason, a sunset is far more beautiful when you have someone confirming that they think it is pretty too. I also like to travel and explore the world with friends. Once again, experiencing new places and cultures by your self is not as exciting as when you have someone with you to react to new surroundings. The cut-outs of the earth, the panda, the fruit, the wind farm, and the sunflower represent that saving the world is important to me and most of my friends. Therefore, they represent how friendships are sometimes formed because of a common interest. I am drawn towards people whose passions are similar to mine. Ideally, I would connect with my friends because we share the same values.
There are several words that say “gifts” or “give” and there is a picture of a puppy opening a present. These things represent an ideal world of giving to others more than your self. Ideally, giving to your friends would always be better than receiving something from them.
I added the words “to hold” and “hugs” because touch is my love language.
I had originally planned on having some sort of order to my collogue. I wanted to have different corners representing different ideas. But as I began pasting, I realized there really is no order in any of my friendships. In each relationship, there is a unique way of connecting with someone. Ideally, I said that I wanted to connect with my friends in all of these ways, but that might get a little boring. It is great to have some friends to watch football with and some to “just chill” with and some to save the earth with.
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