Something is absent from airline marketing messages in 2020.
Something that airlines have spent the better part of the last century branding customers with.
That something is love.
Let’s rewind back to 2019.
You’re about to jump on a plane to visit friends in Las Vegas for the weekend.
Even though you’re crammed into that middle seat on a 30-year-old MD-80, there’s excitement, anticipation, and the thrill of the unknown of what will unfold over the coming days.
You’ve been to Las Vegas many times, and yet the sense of wonder for what will transpire next keeps you in a state of positive anticipation.
You’re eager to see what’s around the corner.
That sense of wonder you feel as you’re sitting in that middle-seat is the byproduct of nearly a century of branding from the airline & travel industry.
The old saying goes “Airlines don’t sell seats – they sell experiences”.
The allure of airline branding
The brand sentiment of airlines and travel companies over the years has aligned psychological marketing elements, with the power of the emotional connection of travelling to see the world, to visit friends, to do this and do that.
Airlines have built their reputation, their brand, and their consumer trust, on the back of making people feel the highest emotions we can feel as humans – love, joy & freedom.
To illustrate my point – what emotions do you feel when watching these airline branding videos?
When we travel, we see smiles.
We see fun & laugher.
We see fellow human beings creating memories, new experiences and filling their minds with the thrills of the abundance of which the world can offer them.
When we travel, we see children experiencing the magic of flight for the very first time.
Travel is synonymous with feelings of joy, love & freedom.
