Indigo Spat: Repeated fiascos will corrode brand value: Experts
Brand experts told exchange4media that the repeated fiascoes are likely to take a toll on the brand image and brand trust of Indigo Airlines regardless of its good service reputation
Indigo Airlines yet again found itself in choppy waters after it offloaded a passenger from the flight as he complained of mosquitoes. The government has ordered an inquiry after a Bengaluru-based doctor was removed from an IndiGo flight on Monday, after a row which started when he complained about mosquitoes.
According to media reports, Dr Saurabh Rai said the flight was full of mosquitoes and when he complained, he was manhandled by the crew and threatened before being offloaded. "I heard the crew saying, 'If you have a problem with mosquitoes then why don't you leave India?" he said.
The airline on their part said that Rai "attempted to instigate other passengers on board to damage the aircraft, and used words such as hijack".
"Such actions are absolutely unacceptable, and there is zero tolerance for such threatening language on board an aircraft. Hence, keeping in mind applicable safety protocols, the crew apprised the pilot-in-command, who decided to offload Mr Rai from the flight," Indigo said in a statement.
The airline found itself at the receiving end of public uproar over more complaints of mosquitoes as the incident took over Twitter. Earlier too, IndiGo had received flak for another incident of man-handling a passenger. Olympic winner-shuttler, PV Sindhu had also claimed that a crew member had misbehaved with her.
The airline also apologized when a passenger fell off her wheelchair while being assisted by an IndiGo employee at the Lucknow airport in November 2017.
With all these controversies stirring around the insensitivity of the brand, the question which lingers around is with these repeated fiascoes, will the brand image and trust be hampered?
Brand experts who chatted with exchange4media pointed out that the repeated fiascoes are likely to take a toll on the brand image and brand trust. Says an industry source on the condition of anonymity, “It takes a lot of time to build up reputation but just a while for it to be devastated. The airline must keep in mind that while being on time is good, being sensitive is even more important.”
N Chandramouli, CEO, TRA opined that the airline is running on high-performance at a point where nothing else seems to matter. “The airline is efficiently managed, but not empathetically managed,” he says and shares examples of similar spats which were dealt with by other airlines with more grace and stature. “When you do something like this repeatedly, it’s a pattern. It’s important to keep in mind that empathy is the first foundation of trust,” he says.
Manveer Singh Malhi, National Digital Head, iGenero also voiced a similar opinion. "The only reason why it has sustained is because it is a low-cost airline. After these repeated goof-ups, the business and family crowd will prefer travelling from any other airline but not IndiGo," says Malhi as he recounts a bitter experience that he had with the airline when they denied to let him board a flight in spite of him being there 20 minutes prior.
"This incident will definitely hamper the brand image. The brand associations and sales will also witnessed a dip," he adds.
Interestingly, Saurabh Uboweja, International Brand Expert and CEO Brands of Desire, has a different take."Indigo has grown to emerge as an airline with the largest market share due to sheer prudence and extraordinary brand building abilities. Brands and experiences are designed to serve a certain capacity which becomes limited with time and it becomes increasingly difficult to deliver consistently high experiences with scale. Indigo is in a transition phase right now. The biggest of the brands face this challenge when they become too big. However, some of these incidents also reflect on the level of tolerance of Indian passengers and to be honest, the blame almost inevitably goes to the brand when an issue crops up," he says.
Uboweja believes that in this case, the passenger may have been equally if not more responsible for the situation. "They can avoid similar confrontations in future or maybe handle them better. They would do well to maybe even re-look at slowing down their growth a bit, if it ensures they manage their brand equity better. Systems and processes need to be better calibrated before their next phase of big growth," he advises.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
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ShareSwapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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