Page 12 - AAA MAY - JUNE 2014 Online Magazine

STUDY SOCIAL MEDIA

have a respond rate of around 75% and regularly carry out Friday Fare Frenzy and persona is that of warm, passionate
43% respectively on Twitter commenting Tigerair’s Thursday Tigerflash between and genuine. As such, we’ve developed
on both service complains and passenger various times. consumer engagement activities with
policy queries. Service delays, server crashes, etc a clear focus of vividly demonstrating
Social media is at the core of human can be timely sent out to all audience, our brand position and our personality
communication, positive (or negative) and updated regularly. Citizen journalism, e.g., 9th Birthday (Around Asia in
experience by a peer and greatly influence a form of social media, sometimes 9-minute) and Travel Less Ordinary
a consumer’s decision on an airline. even gives a faster and more accurate Facebook campaigns. “
51.2% of Singaporeans uses social media feedback to the airlines, after all, it is A quick scroll down their sites shows
to make a decision. the passengers that are the ones directly Tigerair team now respond to queries
One of the main motives of these LCC affected. In a medium that never sleeps, promptly, usually within the average time
strong presence in the social scene is the (Tigerair has learnt it the hard way, see of 14 hours.
create brand awareness and presence, by below), airlines have to be poised to issue
creating audience engagement. online statement even if the social media Scoot
The LCCs in Singapore embrace team is off duty. Singapore’s low cost long-haul airline,
and understand the power of the fifth The advent of social media has Scoot performs excellently in the social
estate. The airlines regularly interest revolutionised how modern businesses media and is spread across all forms
with bloggers, and famous Facebook market themselves. The virtually free of platforms. Scoot quickly activated its
icons. Scoot once had a comical exchange nature of these social media platforms are Facebook account even on August 4 2011
between Singapore meme page, SGAG. cost effective ways of airlines marketing even before their airline’s official launch
After Scoot slashed prices to Seoul and themselves, with high penetration rate on november 1 that year.
nanjing, which was at height of political into the audience. Airlines can limitlessly “Whilst most carriers use social
tension and bird flu cases, SGAG teased promote themselves around the clock, media as an extension of their marketing
the airline for the untimely move. Scoot solidifying the brand’s name in the communication channels to communicate
wittily offered the SGAG team a free flight consumers’ minds. the latest news, launch or promotional
to Seoul and promoted their ScootProtect offer, we started our foray into social
insurance package to SGAG fans. Instead Tigerair media when Scoot was first announced
of ignoring the issue, with their cheeky Singapore’s first low-cost carrier, to the world and unknown by most” said
brand identity, Scoot responded in tongue Tigerair was slower on embarking on the Scoot’s Marketing Manager, Miss Sharon
in cheek manner and the surge of audience social media platform, the last to be on Koh, “With not a single ticket to sell nor a
engagement made them winners with Facebook on July 7 2009. Currently, their flight to fly, our objectives were to:
SGAG. They even named one of their Facebook account has 792 240 fans, of 1) Build up a sizeable community by the
Boeing 777 after suggestions by SGAG. whichg15.6% are Singaporeans, seeing time we started to go on sale
Social media revolves around the digital an average increase of around 10 000 2) Introduce the airline and the people
age. At a click of a mouse, low-cost airlines fans monthly. At the same time, Tigerair behind it to the community at large, so they
are able to analyse customers’ trends, operates TigerairSG Twitter site dedicated would understand our business model and
favourite destination, and even most for Singapore based Tigerair services, excite them enough to give us a try.”
complained topic. From there, they are and you Tube sites, Tigerair Australia and The airline’s launch was much
able to strategize marketing campaigns, Tigerair Mandala. anticipated by the public, and by December,
and work on customer service standards. When Tiger Airways was grounded by they had garnered 20,000 ‘Likes’ from the
Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia public. At time of writing, Scoot has 855
Timely in 2011, customers hurled nasty comments 859 fans on Facebook, of which 30.5% are
An advantage of social media over and complaints at their sites. The airline from Singapore.
traditional media would be its timely only responded three days later, a little To put into perspective, parent
and instantaneous reporting by both the too late for stranded passengers. Since company, Singapore Airlines only has
LCCs and their customers. Since LCC this saga, then Tiger Airways saw the 783 784 fans since their Facebook launch
pricings are very dynamic and seasonal, power and effects of social media on their in December 2007. By far, Scoot has the
social media had allowed the airlines to airline. Since, Tiger Airways rebranded highest fan growth in terms of numbers at
orchestrate promotions that are by the themselves as Tigerair in 2013. over a month 14500 on Facebook, despite
minute. For example, Scoot conducts a Alexander Knigge, Chief Commercial a modest 1.72% increase.
weekly Morning Glory promotion every Development Officer, Tigerair explains: Scoot is extremely active in Facebook;
Tuesday morning between 7am-9am, and “Since our rebranding in July 2013, our an average of around 18 posts a week,
real time Scoot-Consumer promotion held refreshed brand proposition is about and uses its casual and cheeky modus
in a virtual chat room. Similarly, Jetstar Tigerair “taking you there” and our brand operandi to its full effect. There posts are
12 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS MAY / JUNE 2014 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM