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2 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry

The air transport services industry is well established and caters to


millions of customers worldwide each day. Guided by international
organisations like IATA, member airlines across the globe follow stringent
quality guidelines, and technological advances have made flying safer
than ever. Yet despite its rich history, the industry continues to be heavily
impacted by advances in internet technologies.
In the early 2000s, airlines and online travel agencies (OTAs) were forced to provide customers
with unprecedented price transparency. Then, in late 2000, the growth and prominence of social
media platforms, combined with advances in mobile technology (smartphones, tablets), increa-
sed the need for customers to converse and engage in new and challenging ways.
With competitors a click away, airlines must constantly seek new opportunities to differentiate
themselves. When it comes to digital marketing, important strategic partners, such as OTAs, may
become competitors in search engines, on blogs and in travel forums. At the same time, digital
consumers have become savvier and expect fast, personalized support whether to book a flight,
check in, check luggage restrictions or plan a holiday.
Given the industrys fiercely competitive climate, iCrossing believes airlines must go beyond simply
providing services to delivering positively memorable experiences across the customer journey.
A connected brand connects with a targeted audience by being visible across relevant digital
channels such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Advertising (SEA) at
the right time; by offering useful products and services at all lifecycle stages; by making sure
website content is easy to find and usable; by building a desirable brand through consistent
emotional brand values; and by being engaged in dialogue with customers across key social
media. To this end, iCrossing scores airlines across five key metrics that form the Connected
Brand Index (CBI): Visibility, Usefulness, Usability, Desirability and Engagement.
This research is an analysis of the connectedness of some of the most established airlines in
Europe and the Middle East. We identified best practices, but also found potential for airlines to
fully embrace the power of connectedness. The framework used in this analysis was developed and
established by iCrossing. To analyse the performance of the airlines in the Middle East region,
iCrossing partnered with Sekari, headquartered in Dubai. Sekari is a leading provider of search
optimised content marketing in the Middle East.
FOREWORD
3 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
FRAMEWORK
METHODOLOGY
DETAILED ANALYSIS
OVERALL RESULTS
VISIBILITY
USEFULNESS
USABILITY
DESIRABILITY
ENGAGEMENT
CONCLUSIONS
IMPRINT
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6.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
IMPROVE VISIBILITY THROUGH MORE LOCALIZED MARKETING CONTENT
European airlines have an excellent opportunity to engage with Arabic customers by speaking to
them in their own language. During our analysis, we discovered that many European airlines have
yet to embrace this opportunity. Lufthansa, for example, flies to 10 Arabic-speaking destinations
including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but only provides website content in English for these
countries. A localised approach must address the issue of website content and other content
across the digital ecosystem. This also includes search engine marketing efforts. Generally,
Middle East-based airlines offer more content in European languages than vice versa.
iCrossing believes it is important to offer Arabic language content as there is a shift in the attitude
of the regions travelers to new booking channels. The Middle East has seen online bookings grow
by almost a third in 2012 to reach just under US$10.4 billion, up 31% on 2011 figures. Recent
research on the Middle East travel market, conducted in association with global travel market
research company PhoCusWright, shows an upward trend and is predicted to continue with
online bookings and is expected to account for 22% of all travel bookings made in the region
within the next two years, with a total value of US$15.8 billion.
In the past, where perhaps Arabic content was not deemed necessary, it is now one of the fastest
growth sectors and markets globally.
ENGAGE USERS WITH MORE-CONSISTENT BRAND VALUES ACROSS CHANNELS
The airlines we analysed are not consistent enough in how they present their brand across the
digital ecosystem. The Emirates former #AllTimeGreats campaign featuring two world football
stars one former and one current player is still highly visible on some social media channels.
Since the ad campaign is now over, having it still available and being pushed and seemingly
promoted on some social media platforms over others makes for a jagged brand experience,
which is confusing to the consumer. While this is just one example of inconsistent brand experi-
ences with differing logos and visual styles old, irrelevant content are evident among all airlines
and their assets.
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Aggressive competition across digital channels along with competing
OTA partners has increased the need for a comprehensive digital marketing
strategy. iCrossing has identified multiple ways for airlines to better connect
with their audience in the European and Middle Eastern markets.
5 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
IMPROVE WEBSITE USABILITY AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Few airline brands other than KLM offer free, instant customer support, something iCrossing
considers best practice for global ecommerce sites. In most cases, customer support numbers
are difficult to locate and not available for all countries at all times. In addition, most airlines
display too many distractions (call-to-actions) and should focus efforts on reducing the number
of steps to complete a booking.
KLM, considered by iCrossing to be the most engaged airline company, uses Twitter to answer
questions or requests and informs users how long it will take to receive a reply from one of its
customer support agents. iCrossing continues to see great potential for innovation in this area
thereby creating a greater user experience.
6 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
ONE GOAL
The goal of this research is to evaluate how well certain brands perform according to iCrossings
Connected Brand Index (CBI). And the methodology of our research comprises of analysing
the brand experience.
TEN BRANDS
The selection of brands is based on the user-generated results of the 2013 Skytrax World
Airline Awards*. Using Skytrax as a benchmark, iCrossing selected the top-10 rated internatio-
nal airlines (according to customer satisfaction) within Europe and the Middle East.
These airlines are: Lufthansa, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines,
KLM, Air France, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways.
TEN COUNTRIES
We selected 10 key markets where the above airlines operate: Germany, United Kingdom,
Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, Netherlands, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
>180 PLATFORMS
We analysed the activity and impact of each brand across Paid, Owned and Earned media,
including websites and the largest social networks in Europe and the Middle East: Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and Google+.
>700 DATA POINTS IN FIVE CATEGORIES
The Connected Brand Index consists of five characteristics of a connected brand that help
in evaluating the airlines from the digital users perspective: Visibility, Usefulness, Usability,
Desirability and Engagement.
*Source: http://www.airlinequality.com/Airlines/AirlineA-Z.htm
2. FRAMEWORK
7 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
3. METHODOLOGY
Local languages covered
Domain popularity
Quantity of back links
Google Page Rank
SEO, SEA and social visibility
Loading speed of the website
Important information available at a glance with instructions to fill in forms / search fields
Flight search box returning instant search results such as available airports
Existence of an instant and free hotline / online chat / social media customer support
Offering travel tips for a variety of destinations, such as must-sees, local information, etc.
Short and simple booking process with breadcrumbs to orient the user
User-friendly design with well-structured navigation menus
Main categories and subcategories being differentiated
Links and buttons prominently displayed
Consistent look of the links, different from the rest of the content
Locations, shapes and colours in use, helping orient the user
Form fields and interactive elements logically placed
Official Facebook accounts (Global & Local)
Official Twitter accounts (Global & Local)
Official YouTube accounts (Global & Local)
Official Google+ accounts (Global & Local)
VISIBILITY
USEFULNESS
USABILITY
Consistent brand positioning, language, images, layout and general design of the website and
across all channels and platforms
Facilitating and inviting dialogue between the brand and the user / customer
Home and product pages integrating social media links to increase sharing
Facebook: fans, fans growth, followers, own posts, user posts, comments, shares, likes, talking
about, engagement rate
Twitter: tweets, follower growth, following, retweets, engagement rate
YouTube: channel views, uploaded video views, subscribers
Google Plus: followers, in their circles, have them in circles, follower growth, own posts,
comments, shares, likes, engagement rate
DESIRABILITY
ENGAGEMENT
The CBI comprises over 80 key performance indicators (KPIs) across each of the five metrics below.
iCrossing uses a standardised scorecard that compiles the KPIs to produce an overall score between
one and 10 for each metric. Each metric carries the same weight that produces an overall score of
between one and 10. All of the data was compiled between April and June 2014.
8 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
The best performing brands overall are Lufthansa, British Airways and KLM with 6.9 points followed
by the top contender in the Middle East, Emirates (6.6). There was little to choose among the top
five airlines, with all performing solidly across most categories, with a few exceptions. The overall
average of the analysis is 6.1. For this analysis, Middle Eastern brands include Emirates, Qatar
Airways, Etihad Airways and Oman Airlines.
Overall, brands obtai-
ned the highest scores
in Usefulness (7.4) and
generally are weakest
in Visibility (4.0) and
Usability (6.2).
In total, five brands
scored below average
and five airlines scored
above average.
The analysis shows a strong variance in performances - not only among the
individual brands, but also among the pre-defined characteristics. No airline brand
is yet fully connected with their target audience. Improvements, especially in terms of
engagement, would lead to more satisfied customers.
OVERALL RESULTS
Lufthansa
British Airways
KLM
Emirates
Turkish Airlines
Qatar Airways
Swiss Int. Airlines
Oman Air
Etihad
Air France
6.5
5.5
4.7
4.3
4.3
3.0
2.9
3.7
2.4
3.0
7.7
7.8
7.5
7.7
7.6
7.4
7.2
6.6
6.9
7.2
7.0
7.1
6.6
6.3
6.6
6.2
6.6
6.9
6.9
5.1
7.3
6.7
6.8
7.0
6.9
6.3
6.9
6.4
6.9
6.2
6.0
7.5
9.0
7.5
7.1
6.5
5.3
5.6
6.0
5.6
6.9
6.9
6.9
6.6
6.5
5.9
5.8
5.8
5.8
5.4
Ranking Airline
AVERAGE
Visibility Usefulness Usability Desirability Engagement Overall
4.0 7.4 6.2 6.4 6.6 6.1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Figure 1: Overall classification (1 to 10, with 10 the highest)
Figure 2: Overall scores (1 to 10, with 10 the highest)
4. DETAILED ANALYSIS
9 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Lufthansa obtained the highest score in this category (6.5), mainly due to good rankings in natural
search results on a broad international scale. The top-5 above average airlines are: British Airways,
KLM, Turkish and the Emirates. Overall, most airlines struggle in this category, indicating a need for
both on-page and off-page site optimisation.
Generally, airline routes, target markets (and, thus, business strategy) and geographical
presence have an impact on Visibility. While the focus of this analysis is Europe and the Middle
East, some airlines have a stronger US presence than others. Backlink strength gained in
non-EU and ME markets likely impacts SEO profiles and as a result the Visibility score in
EU and ME. Of the airlines examined, key European and Middle Eastern traffic sources include:
UK, Germany and France along with the local markets of the airlines themselves. The US
was a frequent key traffic source for many airlines after the local market. British Airways,
interestingly, gains over half of its traffic from the UK in comparison to Lufthansa where Germany only
makes up roughly a quarter of all traffic. Airlines that score lower in Visibility tend to be those with
smaller home or target markets. However, iCrossing feels that brands with an international presence
in larger markets have an opportunity to improve their Visibility profile with the right digital strategy.
VISIBILITY
Visibility reflects how competitive a brand is on the web. The iCrossing Visibility metric
focuses primarily on a brands competitiveness in Google and across social media plat-
forms. One key factor in determining Visibility is how well each brand performs in SEO.
Our ranking takes into account several metrics that impact organic rankings (and Google
Page Rank), such as the overall back-link profile of each site. In addition, iCrossing looks
at each sites on-page SEO, paid search campaigns and social media presence.
Figure 3: Visibility scores. Average score is 5.8
TOTAL AVERAGE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
4.3
3.0
2.4
4.3
6.5
2.9
4.7
3.7
5.5
3.0
7.7
7.4
6.9
7.6
7.7
7.2
7.5
6.6
7.8
7.2
7.5
6.5
6.0
7.1
6.0
5.3
9.0
5.6
7.5
5.6
7.0
6.3
6.9 6.9
7.3
6.9
6.8
6.4
6.7
6.2
6.3 6.2
6.9
6.6
7.0
6.6 6.6
6.9
7.1
5.1
10 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 4: Sample flight SERP
(Source: google.ca, 22 May 2014)
Google continues to innovate with its search algorithms. The blue arrow in Figure 4 below shows a
recent innovation from Google results that shows flight schedules for a London to Dubai flight. Search
engine result pages (SERPs) give good examples of the strong competition within the travel industry.
Many airlines are not visible on the first page for frequently searched keywords or phrases.
iCrossing has noticed that several airlines are paying for more-prominent positions for important
flight-route search terms where previously only OTAs were visible (see red arrow in Figure 4
above). Nevertheless, OTAs are proving to be airlines strongest competitors and occupy top
positions both in paid and organic search for many destinations.
11 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 5: Sample flight SERP
(Source: google.co.uk, 8 May 2014)
Figure 5 shows another example of a destination, paid ads, organic search and how Google is
innovating its algorithms by showing flight schedules.
12 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 6: Sample flight SERP
(Source: google.com.sa, 4 June 2014)
Figure 7: Sample flight SERP
(Source: google.ae, 4 June 2014)
Query: Trip to London
Query: Trip to Paris
Figure 6 shows an example of a destination entered in Google Saudi Arabia for the search terms
Riyadh to London and using Arabic.
Figure 7 shows an example of a destination entered in Google AE using Arabic.
13 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
The test-user scenarios used for evaluating each airline included common user website goals.
Lufthansa, British Airways and the Emirates lead the pack, but on the whole, airlines obtain their
highest scores in this category, indicating that great efforts are being made to create sites that
answer users needs. Given the high price for paid media campaigns, it is easy to understand why
this is the case.
USEFULNESS
This category evaluates how well a brand caters to users website needs at different
stages of the customer lifecycle or journey. A user who wants to book a flight requires
different information than someone who is looking to complete an online check-in.
Airlines should be able to attend to every users needs to build stronger relationships
with their audiences.
Figure 8: Usefulness scores
TOTAL AVERAGE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
4.3
3.0
2.4
4.3
6.5
2.9
4.7
3.7
5.5
3.0
7.7
7.4
6.9
7.6
7.7
7.2
7.5
6.6
7.8
7.2
7.5
6.5
6.0
7.1
6.0
5.3
9.0
5.6
7.5
5.6
7.0
6.3
6.9 6.9
7.3
6.9
6.8
6.4
6.7
6.2
6.3 6.2
6.9
6.6
7.0
6.6 6.6
6.9
7.1
5.1
iCrossing has identified two critical points that warrant attention for most of the brands: the
complexity and length of the booking process and the lack of seamless on-site customer support.
While the former borders on website usability (see Usability), iCrossing graded the booking
process and steps involved as a feature element in order to grade its Usefulness.
Airlines need to provide a fast, easy process where users can enter and select destinations, dates,
seats and payment details. At the same time, airlines must generate cross- and upselling oppor-
tunities, such as premium-class offers, hotel and car rental services and holiday ideas during the
booking process. iCrossing believes there is space to innovate and optimize in the booking process.
Generally, airlines must look to decrease click steps but also not overload pages and create long
lists that could frustrate users.
14 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 9: British Airways - Website
(Source: britishairways.com, May 2014)
Generally, iCrossing believes airlines can do more to provide easy-to-find, free and instant
support online. While some airlines provide better support than others, most airlines give the
impression of being difficult to reach via phone. And depending on the topic and location of the
user, there is often too much information to get through to find the right contact number except
for KLM.
However, Emirates does include a Help Centre menu item within the navigation, which
iCrossing considers best practice. British Airways offers similar information under Information
and Customer Service within the navigation.
iCrossing found British Airways Cancellations, delays and baggage problems page particularly
useful. Here, users can find answers to common topics such as What to do if your flight is de-
layed or cancelled.
While slightly less prominently displayed, Lufthansas reservation and flight booking hotline is
available 24/7 for some countries, including Germany and the UK. Calls are charged at local rates.
The BA site (Figure 9) scored highly in Usefulness due to its clear layout and the short steps
needed to complete tasks.
15 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 10: KLM Contact Section - Considered Best Practice
(Source: klm.com, May 2014)
iCrossing considers KLMs approach to customer support the best among all airlines (see below
screen capture). It offers a dedicated contact button that once clicked routes you to a dedicated
page with steps showing how you can contact customer service representatives and how long it
will take.
16 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 11: Qatar stopover section on qatarairways.com
(Source: website, July 2014)
Other than telephone, email and Facebook support, many airlines have FAQ or content sections
that provide answers to common topics. Qatar Airways, for example, has an informative section
about what to do in Qatar during a stopover.
17 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
USABILITY
Figure 12: Usability scores
TOTAL AVERAGE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
4.3
3.0
2.4
4.3
6.5
2.9
4.7
3.7
5.5
3.0
7.7
7.4
6.9
7.6
7.7
7.2
7.5
6.6
7.8
7.2
7.5
6.5
6.0
7.1
6.0
5.3
9.0
5.6
7.5
5.6
7.0
6.3
6.9 6.9
7.3
6.9
6.8
6.4
6.7
6.2
6.3 6.2
6.9
6.6
7.0
6.6 6.6
6.9
7.1
5.1
The flight search box is one of the most important site features. This should be placed prominently.
iCrossing considers the top left- or right-hand side of the home page to be best practice. We were
surprised that Emirates a top performer in most categories has opted as a default to hide the
flight search box. Users must first click on the right-hand navigation button to open the box. In
addition, the Emirates home page includes many side elements that we feel are distractions or
interactive elements that do not behave as expected.
The top navigation categories also do not describe the sub-elements within them as concisely
as some other brand page menus did. For example, terms such as The Emirates Experience,
Destinations and Plan & Book are either inaccurate or leave too much to the imagination. For
example, users can manage bookings under Plan & Book.
Lufthansas navigation, by comparison, includes both Plan & Book and Manage My Booking.
We feel BAs Flights and holidays, Manage My Booking and Information categories are more
concise and accurately describe the sub-categories contained within them.
BA and Lufthansa again lead the pack in this category with 7.1 and 7.0 points respectively, thanks to
their clear design and navigation terms. Many brands share similar approaches: large background
images, videos and dynamic content with a varying multitude of call-to-actions that may distract the
user from some of their primary targets, like booking a flight or checking in.
Usability focuses more on how user-friendly a site is. To use a travel analogy, if Usefulness
is a review of the best attractions (features) at a destination (the website), Usability is a
review of how easy it is to get to those attractions. For this, iCrossing reviewed the layout,
navigation and design along with terms used to help users navigate around.
18 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 13: Emirates home page
(Source: website, July 2014)
A second navigation menu to the right on the Emirates page in red also blends too much into the
large home visual, which is static, making it almost invisible. This includes terms that are more
concise, such as Book a Flight and Find Hotels and Cars. However, the button colours and
space usage do not give them a prominent enough position. Combined with other red site elements,
the home page feels cluttered.
iCrossing considers a less is more approach to website design more beneficial to facilitating goal
completion. Brands must strike a blance between delivering good content and using space sparingly
to avoid overloading the page with distractions. Brands must be clear about the main goal of each
web page and strive to facilitate and structure it accordingly.
Generally, brands that score between six and seven, while not poor in terms of usability, must be
more goal oriented and selective about what content really is deserving of prime website real estate.
Air France just misses out on a score of six or higher, but we like the visuals and navigational ele-
ments. Nevertheless, we feel the call-to-action could be clearer and space usage better managed.
19 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 15: Air France home page
(Source: website, May 2014)
Figure 14: Lufthansa home page with slider, search box as standard and well categorized sections
(Source: website, May 2014)
20 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
DESIRABILITY
Desirability looks at how well brands portray consistent imagery and messaging
across their websites and digital channels.
Figure 16: Desirability scores
TOTAL AVERAGE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
4.3
3.0
2.4
4.3
6.5
2.9
4.7
3.7
5.5
3.0
7.7
7.4
6.9
7.6
7.7
7.2
7.5
6.6
7.8
7.2
7.5
6.5
6.0
7.1
6.0
5.3
9.0
5.6
7.5
5.6
7.0
6.3
6.9 6.9
7.3
6.9
6.8
6.4
6.7
6.2
6.3 6.2
6.9
6.6
7.0
6.6 6.6
6.9
7.1
5.1
Emirates could score higher if they give their former #AllTimeGreats advertising campaign less real
estate on its home page as this is creating a broken rather than seamless experience for its customer
journey. iCrossing believes that since the campaign is over, it should no longer feature prominently on
any of its assets.
When a customer interacts with a brand, it is important for them to have a consistent image of
the brand during their interaction with a brands assets whether their interaction is through
a website, microsite, App, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or traditional offline advertising and
marketing efforts. When it comes to desirability, Lufthansa scores highest (7.3) followed by the
Emirates (7.0). Air France achieves the lowest score in this category (6.2) due to inconsistencies
between key visuals across all its platforms and its website. Turkish Airways and Etihad (both 6.9)
just miss out on a score of seven due to minor inconsistencies in the presentation of their
claim / slogan. This is due to a key message, visual or slogan featuring prominently on one or more
channels, but not on all. Alternatively, font, size and colour variations also contribute to markdowns.
Figure 17: Emirates AllTimeGreats campaign on social media was not visible on the home page
(Source: Facebook and Google+ Fan Pages, May 2014 | As of July 2014, the campaign has been removed)
21 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 18: Air France lacks consistency across digital platforms
(Source: Twitter, Google+, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest, May 2014)
22 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
Figure 19: Positive emotional visual featuring Turkish Airlines slogan and logo
(Source: Facebook May 2014)
Air France scored below average and shows lack of consistency with visuals and branding across
all of its platforms, but the airline did score well in terms of desirability by being interactive and
participatory between the user and the brand (6.2). Swiss International Air Lines misses out on
a score of seven (6.9) due to some English language issues in key visuals on the website that we
believe diluted the brands overall Desirability.
Turkish Airlines also misses out on a seven score due to the rigid and slightly functional feel of
the site. This detracted from good emotional messaging, visuals and content found on Facebook
(below).
23 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
With an average score of 6.6, this category is the second highest-performing metric. Its a good indi-
cator of how most airlines are utilizing some opportunities to connect with their audience. KLM is the
best-engaged airline (9.0) followed by Emirates and British Airways, both scoring well (7.5) followed by
Turkish Airlines (7.1). Lufthansa performs solidly in this category, but does not stand out on any one
platform. Other airlines were less successful in building dialogue with fans or customers. While some
airlines point to their market share as a reason why they have fewer fans, likes and followers, the oppor-
tunity to create buzz over social media should not be governed by the size of a companys revenues.
ENGAGEMENT
Social media networks are powerful instruments for engaging with audiences beyond a
brands own website and third-party travel portals. Most of the scores for this metric are
quantitative, with fans, likes, followers, content (visual, text, video) ratio and engagement
rates playing an important role.
Figure 20: Engaged scores
TOTAL AVERAGE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Airways Turkish Airlines Lufthansa Swiss KLM Oman Air British Airways Air France
4.3
3.0
2.4
4.3
6.5
2.9
4.7
3.7
5.5
3.0
7.7
7.4
6.9
7.6
7.7
7.2
7.5
6.6
7.8
7.2
7.5
6.5
6.0
7.1
6.0
5.3
9.0
5.6
7.5
5.6
7.0
6.3
6.9 6.9
7.3
6.9
6.8
6.4
6.7
6.2
6.3 6.2
6.9
6.6
7.0
6.6 6.6
6.9
7.1
5.1
Airlines that scored poorly in this category generally do not appear to have a social media strategy in
place, instead treating each platform independently and on an ad-hoc basis instead of having a
consistent image of the brand through the entire customer journey (a 360 experience). Irregular posts
lead to a lack of audience participation, and this has a direct impact on engagement rate, a KPI that
indicates how many people like or respond to a post on Facebook. With constant changes to the way
feeds are shown on Facebook, it is more important than ever to engage users regularly with exciting
content. iCrossing considers photos to be the best type of shared content, but a Connected Brand also
uses text and videos and links across social media platforms for maximum cross-channel impact.
A few brands posted in local languages within their global accounts. On some occasions, fans asked
the brand to post in English. iCrossing recommends that brands post frequently in English in order
to ensure fans can relate to the content and ensure a constantly high engagement rate.
24 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
3. CONCLUSION
The Connected Brand Index shows there are great opportunities for the
airline industry to improve their digital performance, especially within
Engagement and Visibility. A Connected Brand is able to connect the
dots between each of the digital channels and platforms they inhabit to
create a unified digital ecosystem and connect to the audience.
iCrossing believes British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Emirates and Turkish Airlines perform solidly
overall, but with a more-focused digital strategy can increase the value of their brand. Generally,
iCrossing considers these airlines do a good job presenting their brand on each individual
platform; however, there is room for improving cohesion between all of their platforms. A unified,
360 strategy that targets both offline and online audiences through content and SEO strategies
and across all channels will help these brands achieve a Connected Brand status.
The bottom five brands generally had larger issues in two or more categories. iCrossing believes
these brands must create a unified brand strategy, but also focus on individual channels in the
short-term. Some brands were either inactive across social media or not consistent enough in
how they presented themselves.
Brands that score poorly in Usefulness and Usability must look at their Owned Media. Due to
the fiercely competitive nature of the industry and high costs of running paid ad campaigns in
search engines, it is imperative these brands create sites that are goal-oriented and easy to use.
At the same time, a content strategy is crucial to increasing visitor length of visits that are not
directly linked to flight bookings or checking in. These brands must make their sites knowledge
bases for key travel phrases, so that visitors come back frequently for other topics.
Overall, Visibility proved to be the sore point of the industry due to the competitive positioning
of OTAs in both organic and paid search. Airlines can take a page from the top OTAs and focus
their efforts on top search terms that generate traffic and sales. iCrossing sees great potential for
airlines to create greater localised content for target markets, like Arabic-speaking countries. By
adopting an approach that focuses more on audience interaction across the POE spectrum
brands will position themselves to win greater market share.
25 Copyright 2014 , iCrossing GmbH July 2014 Connected Brands Index: Airline industry
IMPRINT
Sekari UAE
Office 2804, BB1 Tower
Mazaya Business Avenue
Jumeirah Lakes Towers
Dubai, UAE
T: +971 4 434 2816
F: +971 4 434 2801
Email: info@sekari.com
www.sekari.com
iCrossing GmbH
Tal 11 Rgb.
Eingang Hochbrckenstr. 5
D - 80331 Mnchen
T: +49 / (0) 89 / 24 20 53 - 133
F: +49 / (0) 89 / 24 20 53 - 311
Email: kontakt@icrossing.com
www.icrossing.com
iCrossing, recently named a Leader
in Gartners Magic Quadrant for global
digital marketing agencies, builds
connected brands for some of the
worlds most recognized companies
including Beam Inc., The Coca-Cola
Company and LG Electronics.
We believe informed creative
makes lasting and quantifiable
impressions. That attention is no
longer just bought; its also earned.
And you have to provide valuable
content precisely when and where
consumers want it. So rather than
shouting at customers, we
engage in conversations. We
facilitate meaningful and lasting
connections. And we create
interactive experiences that are
visible, useful, usable, desirable
and engaged.
iCrossing, a unit of Hearst Corpo-
ration, is headquartered in New
York and has 900 employees
in 17 offices globally. For more
information, visit icrossing.com
or its social spaces.
Sekari is the leading provider of
Search Optimised Content Marketing
in the Middle East.
We are famous for combining
sound strategic thinking and crea-
tive innovation with highly-tuned
optimisation technology to con-
sistently produce outrageously
good results. Sekari strongly be-
lieve in delivering local solutions
provided by native Content and
SEO experts within each country,
emulating human behaviour in
each country.

As strategic partners of iCrossing
and with our head quarters in Du-
bai, The United Arab Emirates, we
are best placed to provide an inter-
national team of partners around
the world and deliver local native
Search Optimised Content in over
43 Countries in 30 languages.
iCrossing GmbH
Tal 11 Rgb. | Eingang Hochbrckenstr. 5 | D-80331 Mnchen
T: +49 / (0) 89 / 24 20 53 - 133 | F: +49 / (0) 89 / 24 20 53 - 311
Email: kontakt@icrossing.com | www.icrossing.de

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