Product Differentiation
An airline is an airline is an airline.
Differentiating the product...at least in the eyes of the travelling public...is the goal of all airline marketing departments.Unfortunately the perception and the reality rarely coincide
Qantas has differentiated itself by promoting its Australianess and safety record .Australia has become become passe.The safety record aint what it used to be and LCCs have changed the landscape forever.We now have differentiation on price.
Joyce appears to be spending money on the hard product but QF lags behind and will continue to do so for at least for the next two or three years.
An employee needs to be proud of the company that they work for.They need to be proud of the product.
Qantas employees have had little to be proud of for at least the last ten years.Indeed, at Qantas,employees have been seen as a necessary evil.
Asian carriers have exploited their advantage to good effect.Orangputi is a perfect example.The media in Asian countries is very tightly controlled.How often do you see a negative report about Sing Air in the Straits Times ?
Bagging the national carrier in Australia has become a favourite media bloodsport.The arrogance of the QF marketing and media department is largely responsible for this.
Micro managing CC is slowly turning them into atomatons.When Qantas starts treating its employees as an asset rather than a liability the travelling public will see an improvement in service levels.Incidently these service levels are pretty damned good if you believe the company's own research.
This gem from Cabin Services...female flight attendants must now "touch up before they touch down" A famous BA edict of the 70s.Shows you where Qantas management mindset is.The hard product might be ancient but the CC lipstick and name tags are perfect.
Product differentiation....Our lipstick and name tags make Qantas standout from the pack
Time for more new blood at the top AJ