Don’t all travellers deserve better service?
The travel industry has had some severe blows, first from the financial crisis and recently by the volcanic ash. Perhaps that is the wake up call that airline and holiday operators need to make changes, namely better service and more effective communication processes.
The introduction of budget airlines and low cost package holidays enabled far more people to travel and go abroad. The increase in demand has been great for the industry but at the same time, and in some areas, it has led to a fall in the levels of customer service provided to travellers.
Research shows that airports and flying can rate highly as being stressful situations for many people, so shouldn’t these be areas where customer service is high priority?
Well done to Virgin marketing who aremaking a stand with their current rockstar campaign, aimed at those who are fed up with cattle class treatment and wanting VIP service across airports, transfer and hotels. Clever timing no doubt and some clever marketing to push the Virgin brand forward whilst others such as Ryan Air are lagging behind from poor handling of the recent volcano crisis.
As a nation we’ve always trailed behind the Americans on providing excellent and consistent customer service. Hopefully all areas of the travel industry will take a lead from Virgin and place more emphasis on customer service and communication for when things are running smoothly and especially so on the occasions when things go wrong. Surely all paying customers deserve this kind of respect, whether it’s one or hundreds of thousands. Virgin Rockstar campaign piece featured in Brand Republic:
Virgin Holidays unveils ‘Rockstar Service’ drive
LONDON - Virgin Holidays is rolling out a marketing drive based on the concept of ‘Rockstar Service’ to emphasise the quality of its customer care.
It will be supported by a campaign, created by MCBD and Elvis, that continues Virgin Holidays’ existing ad strategy of ‘Ask for the world’. The ads target consumers looking for the best service across airports, transfers and hotels.
The ‘Rockstar Service’ ads will feature a fictional Spinal Tap-style US rock band called The Danke Schons, who will be shown on a package trip with Virgin Holidays ahead of recording their third album.
The campaign will run across TV, print, outdoor, digital and direct, with radio ads to be voiced by legendary The Who frontman Roger Daltry. It will also include a dedicated Danke Schons Facebook page and six-minute ‘rockumentary’ film to be hosted on the brand’s website and YouTube channel. The activity launches on 7 May and will continue throughout the summer.
The project has been led by Virgin Holidays marketing director Andrew Shelton, who claimed the brand is right to differentiate itself on its reputation. ‘This ad comes very much from the heart of the Virgin brand - customer service,’ he said.
Virgin Holidays launched its first TV ad campaign in 2008 featuring singer Charlotte Church, but dropped the celebrity from marketing soon after. Earlier this year, it returned to TV with an ad in which a burlesque dancer promoted price offers.
Travel firms have made big marketing investments so far this year, with TUI brands Thomson and First Choice maintaining a near-constant presence, and Thomas Cook airing TV ads with Jamie and Louise Redknapp.
Lastminute.com also returned to TV in 2009 after a four-year hiatus, and last month launched a campaign encouraging consumers to forget the recession and book a holiday abroad.
The industry has, however, been hit by the volcano crisis, during which UK flights were grounded for six days. Shelton said it highlighted the need for better customer service. ‘People want to be looked after when things go wrong, but should also be treated well when they go right,’ he added