I'll admit to being a very pre-meditated traveler. The night before a trip where I'm speaking to a conference or facilitating a Brainzooming strategy session, I spend time visualizing key events during the trip, thinking through what needs to be packed and what unusual situations to prepare for, just in case. Part of the pre-trip strategy involves identifying what absolutely has to be addressed before leaving and what can be handled while traveling.
As a result, it was a welcome surprise the night before my recent trip to speak to the Milwaukee Business Marketing Association when the following email arrived from Southwest Airlines.
Just as I was trying to anticipate what emails could get sent prior to leaving, the Southwest notification provided an alert that the next day's flight would have Wi-Fi. How great to be able to incorporate this foreknowledge into planning for what could get accomplished while on the early flight the next morning.
Southwest Airlines successfully nailed what's typically a big challenge for brands: knowing its customers well enough to understand when they'll already be thinking about its brand. By anticipating this situation, Southwest increased receptiveness to its message since I already had its brand on my mind.
The challenge? While this is an ideal situation for a brand (talking to customers when they're already focused on you), there's no easy formula for doing it well. It really does take intense understanding of your marketplace, perhaps through ethnographic research where you have an opportunity to observe how your customers function and interact with your brand even when your brand isn't formally present. – Mike Brown
The Brainzooming Group helps make smart organizations more successful by rapidly expanding their strategy options and creating innovative plans they can efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call us at 816-509-5320 to learn how we can help you enhance your brand strategy and implementation efforts.
