You can always go.. downtown!

Written on 3:16 PM by Sarah

Dr. Rapaille’s three-stage technique involves exploring consumer’s rational reasoning, then their emotions, and finally the primal core, or “reptilian hot buttons”. In the first stage, consumers are asked to give intellectual, rational input about a product or product category. In the second stage, consumers are supposed to explore their emotional reactions by disregarding logical or intelligent answers. The final stage is the key to Rapaille’s work. He believes that our primal, underlying urges serve as the driving factor behind all of our purchasing decisions.

He found the underlying code for large SUVs is “domination” and that the code in America for cheese is that cheese is “dead”. Based on these reptilian codes, he suggests to car makers that SUVs need to be bigger with tinted windows, and that cheese must be marketed in a way that reassures American consumers that the cheese is safe, and that it is contained.

The concept behind Song airlines is an interesting one, in that no airline has ever tried to pass itself off as a lifestyle or a culture as explicitly as Song has done. Virgin has come close, but not to the extent of Song. I like the idea of an airline that is tailored specifically to women, that serves organic food, and provides free DirecTV. One potential obstacle is that women are not regular fliers, so generating brand loyalty may not be enough. If a woman is loyal to Song but only flies once or twice a year, her total lifetime value to Song is not very substantial.

Their advertising campaign and brand strategy seems to very accurately capture the “spirit” of Song, but I do agree with the gentleman who expressed concerns over the lack of mention that Song is an airline in its commercials. The name is not indicative of the service provided, and since it is not overtly affiliated with Delta, it is very plausible that consumers who view the commercials may not associate Song with an airline and they may have absolutely no idea what product or service is being advertised. This was illustrated in the documentary during the segment on the Song store. The concept of an airline having a store was promising, and certainly novel, but it only seemed to confuse consumers. The man featured in the documentary asked the Song store employee if they were perhaps a travel agency.

I am a huge fan of the Kate Spade brand and I think Andy Spade has done a great job of branding and marketing Kate Spade, but fashion and air travel are two very different things. In my opinion, it’s much easier to become a part of culture as a designer versus as an airline. Fashion is personal; it is a direct extension of your expression of self. An airline merely provides a way to get from point A to point B. Maybe someday society will see air travel the way they see fashion, but we aren’t there yet. Furthermore, fashion (especially high fashion) lends itself very easily to emotional branding because it is so personal, whereas low prices are typically the antithesis of high fashion. The success of an airline, on the other hand, hinges more on low fares than the way it fits into a consumer’s lifestyle or the way you feel when you fly with that airline.

The experience offered by Song airlines is a good idea, but one that the world is not ready for just yet, especially given the current state of the economy. Maybe if it is launched in the right place and at the right time, it could gain success.

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