****NEXT****Re: Branding & marketing

From: Rob Frankel <rob_at_robfrankel.com>
Date: Thu 08 Feb 2001 12:26:34 -0600

TOM BROWN WROTE:
> Many of the posts I've read have spoken of a brand as
> something people will pay more for. Powerful brands,
> therefore, are something that customers will pay any
> price to obtain. But that's a mold that doesn't fit
> every case.
>
> Take, for example, a brand such as Southwest Airlines.
> Customers won't pay more for a Southwest ticket--they
> expect to pay much less, in fact. And, it seems to me,
> Southwest customers are very loyal to the brand.

Tom, I think you're looking through the wrong end of
the telescope on this one. In Southwest's case,
nobody's asking them to pay more. Southwest is asking
them to choose Southwest over Alaska Air or some other
competitor. So a more accurate scenario might be
taking a later Southwest flight over an earlier
Shuttle flight, because you prefer the Southwest
treatment -- even when the other shuttle flight is
priced lower.

Last month, a client booked me on a flight first class
to Atlanta. On TWA. I can now say with certainty that
I will fly Business Class on Delta before I would ever
fly first -- or anything -- on TWA again (not that
they're going to be around much longer)!

In fact, I'd fly American and Delta -- and ask for them
-- whenever I can, even though all airlines offer
First and Business Classes.

Rob Frankel, http://www.RobFrankel.com
"Your tapes saved my brand!" -- Big Time Branding Guy, Author of "The
Frankel Tapes -- Volume One" & "The Revenge of Brand X: How to Build
A Big Time Brand on the Web or Anywhere Else" on sale now at
http://www.RevengeOfBrandX.com





Received on Thu Feb 08 2001 - 12:26:34 CST