I recently blogged about how Virgin Atlantic reinforced their brand values when they messed up. In this case, their brand was portrayed as caring.
I have flown Ryanair, many times. Unlike Virgin Atlantic, making its clients feel cared for is certainly not top of Ryanair’s list.
What your brand is not can be as important as what it is
However, Ryanair is undeniably both cheap and punctual. I have not had a late Ryanair flight yet (and they make it blindingly obvious they’re on time by playing a fanfare when every punctual flight lands). Ryanair is also among the very cheapest to fly with.
This is not by mistake. It is a truth of business today that the very best businesses sell you the brand, not the product. With Ryanair, you are buying flights, but the brand leaves you feeling uncared for, but richer – and on time! They know this; it is their brand.
They want you to learn to do things their way, which in return keeps costs low and flights on time.
I will continue to fly Ryanair… and just as they want me to do, I will pay by debit card (keeping their booking costs down), have a small piece of hand luggage and not eat on board (helping them turn their flights around faster by not cramming on excess luggage before the flight can take off, and not having as much mess to clear up before the plane can take off again later on).
What is YOUR brand selling your customers, aside from your product or service?
by Phil Morse