JoAnne Borselli, Group Brand Director

Lately, when it comes to disruptions in the airline industry, the headlines speak for themselves. “More than 2,000 flight delays last Monday.” “American Airlines cancels 31,000 flights from its November schedule.” And recently: “JetBlue and Spirit Airlines Announce Merger Plan.” According to earnings reports, airlines are losing billions right now. Why would an airline choose now to buy another airline? And what does JetBlue need to do to come out of this on top?

By purchasing Spirit Airlines, JetBlue would become the nation’s fifth-largest airline, with a share of more than 10 percent of the market (behind United, Delta, American and Southwest). In addition to solidifying its presence in its existing markets, the deal would also open more routes in Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Miami. 

While there are a lot of potential benefits to JetBlue by merging, they’ll still have four hefty airline players in front of them. How do you win when you’re starting in fifth place?

Double down on your brand 

Now more than ever, JetBlue needs to embrace the brand attributes that got it here in the first place: by being the most “human” of all the airlines out there. Anyone who travels even a little these days knows how impersonal the entire process has become. You’re being scolded in security like a child. Boarding takes forever. You’re squashed like sardines next to total strangers in seats built for a pre-teen. JetBlue alone can’t change the entire industry, so go ahead and poke fun at it. Have some fun. Everyone knows the problems with flying right now. Don’t hide from them or pretend they don’t exist. Embrace them and laugh at the situation. The other airlines are too “corporate” to do that and their brands are too “vanilla” to be willing to take risks in messaging. Your customers will appreciate the honesty and would enjoy some laughs for a change. 

Make sure that brand personality extends to your staff

During the typical airport experience, by the time you get where you’re going, you’re a shell of a human being. So when someone talks to you like a real person, it stands out. Service that includes a solid dash of humanity. Flight attendants that (usually) enjoy their jobs. Pilots that talk to you like a peer instead of a number. They are your walking billboards. From restaurants to retail, good employees are worth gold right now—so treat them that way. It all makes the difference that will create loyalty from customers in a world where loyalty no longer exists. 

Invest a little in some “extras” that will pay off

Every airline is charging for every small detail right now. Seat choices, luggage, food. If you have to play that game to compete, fine. But look for small things that you can do that don’t cost a lot but mean a lot. You know when my birthday is—it was in my reservations when I booked. On my birthday, shoot me a note with a $50 credit toward my next flight. And don’t make me join your loyalty program to get that. If you treat me right, I’ll likely join your loyalty program anyway. Give employees the power to do whatever they think to make me happy on my next flight. A quietly complimentary beer given to the guy who’s sitting behind the crying baby will be a story he will tell to everyone once he gets off the flight. 

What’s Next

At this point, there are many miles (and legal hearings and union meetings) to go before this merger is confirmed. And many in the industry think it won’t happen. If it DOES happen, JetBlue has the opportunity to differentiate itself from the “big four” on a much bigger playing field than it was playing on before. And maybe even break into the top four. As a brand, it already has the ingredients. It’s just time to dial them up more than ever before.

Alyssa Stevens, Director of Public Relations and Social Media

Set in the beautiful South of France, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is one of my favorite industry events to attend. While the Côte d’Azur is certainly a magnificent destination to visit, the speakers, content, and networking opportunities that this conference brings are also unmatched. Due to the pandemic, 2019 was the last time that Cannes Lions was hosted in person and judging by the undeniable energy of attendees and the all-star lineup of speakers, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one who was thrilled to be back!

This year’s visit marked my third time attending Cannes Lions, and as I reflect on all of the sessions and conversations, there are several recurring themes and topics that were woven throughout the conference. As marketers, especially those of us who specialize in the social media and influencer marketing industries, the future is bright. With Web 3 continuing to gain traction, TikTok dominating the social media landscape, and social commerce riding the coattails of ecommerce, I couldn’t be more energized by my experience at Cannes Lions.

While I wish I could have teleported you to the Mediterranean to soak up the knowledge and trends that Cannes Lions imparted, the next best thing is sharing a few of the key takeaways from my time on the Croisette…

Consumers’ expectations for brands are higher than ever before

Consumers are becoming more and more discerning about the brands they want to align themselves with, and as a result, we’re seeing a shift in how brands are approaching innovation. In a “CMOs in the Spotlight” series featuring chief marketing officers from L’Oreal, The Lego Group, and Marriott International, the focus was on how today’s shopper wants quality services/products that also help to change the world and the effect that mindset has on a brand’s internal innovation process. Brand purpose is more important than ever before, but those efforts and innovation have to start within the company before trickling down to the consumer level. Consumers want to feel like they are part of a solution when they invest in a product or service, and in turn, brands are working harder than ever before to use creativity and innovation to drive progress. This shift in the consumer mindset will continue to evolve, so it’s up to marketers to decide what their brand stands for and how that affects their upcoming initiatives and launches. It’s not just about what a brand says they do, it’s about what they actually do and how consumers can get involved with it. 

Influencer 3.0 focuses on “Join Me” vs. “Watch Me”

When influencers first became a thing, it was all about visually pleasing photos and perfectly curated feeds, but as the industry grows and more global brands invest significant budgets towards influencer marketing, we’re beginning to see a shift in both brand and consumer expectations around influencer content. During a session led by content creator @AlexisRen and the VP of Marketing and Communications (Americas) at Burberry, the idea of influencers building a community for a brand vs. just posting photos was a main theme. Influencers are held to a high standard by their followers to share authentic content because their audience craves a story around the products/experience that they post instead of just seeing a nice image. Brands can help influencers build audience trust by truly collaborating with them instead of just renting their ad space and reach. Influencer 3.0 is expected to place a higher emphasis on the “substance equation,” encouraging influencers and brands to create collaborations built around reliability, passion, humility, and vulnerability. These are the type of influencer programs that are expected to best resonate with today’s consumer. 

The customer journey is shortening and social media is leading the way

Brands are realizing that as consumer attention spans shrink, they need to maximize the time they have with shoppers and meet them where they are…and that’s on social media. 81% of shoppers were already using social media to discover brands/research experiences before the pandemic and now the customer journey has been shortened, allowing them to convert directly from social. With social media platforms evolving their shopping capabilities, we will see more brands play in this space and put additional marketing dollars into converting consumers directly from social. In a session led by WARC, the speakers acknowledged that while social commerce is exciting, it also puts a larger onus on the brand to make their social media and influencer collaborations compelling enough to entice consumers to click through to purchase within moments of seeing their product/service. As a consumer, I’ve personally done this and love the ease and instant gratification of the transaction, but as a marketer, I feel the increased pressure to ensure that my clients’ social presence is working as hard as it can to resonate with its target social media audience. 

NFTs may be here to stay

NFTs…a topic that everyone wants to discuss, but one that most people don’t know much about. According to executives from Vayner Media, NFTs are here to stay, and in order for brands to maintain cultural relevance, they need to begin evaluating a strategy. Right now, the majority of consumers are looking to buy NFTs for four main reasons: status, participation, trading, and collecting. But as this matures, it’s anticipated that NFTs will become less about collectibility and more about utility. Brands who want to join the fold as early adopters can mint NFTs that provide utility for consumers. For example, NFTs can offer access to an experience, build upon a brand’s loyalty program, showcase innovation, and give back to philanthropic causes. While only 0.09% of internet users currently have NFTs, it’s expected that this number will increase significantly over the next 12 to 24 months, and as a result, we’ll see price stabilization and the utility aspect of NFTs beating the collectibility. 

CP’s team of senior strategists and anthropologists regularly release insights on cultural, economic, and social shifts that can impact our clients. Here are their most recent observations.

1. People still dream, the scale is just getting smaller.

In the U.S., purchase decisions are shifting as people adjust to their shrinking disposable incomes. With inflation at heights unseen in four decades, cost of living has become a major concern. Although costs like driving to work and buying groceries are impacting people most, attitude and behavior changes are the most dramatic when it comes to larger expenditures like home improvement and remodeling. Even with home values soaring today, consumers fear embarking on bigger home projects due to higher cost of materials and a shrinking contractors universe. But we expect homeowners will still aspire to improve their homes, and will reframe those dreams with more scaled-back, practical approaches.

Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, IPSOS

2. A reawakening for ‘accessible luxuries.’

Inflation in Q2 and beyond will affect household finances. People are most concerned about energy and agricultural markets and their associated rising costs. Over the past two decades, luxuries and indulgences have evolved in perception from a human want to a human right, perceived to be reward necessities to counter stress and depression. As such, when it comes to tightening the budget belt, we expect consumers to trim their spending on essentials in order to still afford their ‘new need’ indulgences.

Sources: Mintel, Financial Review, Retail Detail

3. She-flation is real and it’s being felt in a big way.

The recent spikes in goods and services is disproportionately affecting women (referred to as “she-flation”). Women tend to do most of the household purchasing of goods and thus are more often reminded of inflation in their everyday lives. People’s individual experiences with inflation depend on their purchasing habits and gender. But brands can identify customer sentiments like optimism or pessimism based on these factors and, in this case, account for the heightened emotional toll of the “pink tax” women feel right now. Brands should assess who’s most affected by inflation and do something about it.

Sources: NBC News, WNYC, UChicago

4. Treats and rewards as today’s self help. 

People are re-evaluating what is a necessity and what is an indulgence. Many people are turning to treats and indulgences as a form of reward and coping or self-help. COVID and lockdown heightened our consciousness on the importance of mental wellness and self care. A brand who encourages people to put their well-being first and encourages treating one’s self is destined to earn affinity.

Sources: Financial Times, The Baffler, AFR, Financial Times, Happiness By Design, Adobe

5. Standing up for something means defying something else.

Alignment against Russia is one of the most extreme alignments among consumers in recent history. People don’t want companies selling to Russia, buying from Russia or maintaining operations in Russia. Younger generations in particular are contributing to effectively canceling a whole country. People want brands to act on their values in ways that may be risky in the short-term, but represent a commitment to personal and organizational human values and equity. Any imaginative brand can find a way to do something similar to create natural affinity.

Sources: Yale, The Hill, The Atlantic, The New York Times, eMarketer

6. People don’t save for a rainy day when it’s raining.

Lockdown and the pandemic provided the chance for many people to consider what was a priority in the short and longer term. Inflation has now made a lot of our longer term goals seem derailed or unattainable in the present day. Consumers need to be reassured by credible sources that they shouldn’t let go of longer term goals. The economic ebbs and flows are normal and in every environment, there are opportunities to take, and plans to be made or to stick with. Reassurance from a bank to go forth with goals and plans can be very inspiring and reinforce those discovered priorities established during lockdown.

Sources: Fidelity, PR Newswire, CNBC, The New York Times, Forbes, Accenture

All good things expire. Look out for more trends coming soon.