Yes, it’s Eurovision weekend! The annual jamboree of sparkly costumes, flashy lights and whacky performances is finally here once more. What can we learn about airlines while listening to the beat of seven Euro pop classics? Read on…
Flying the Flag
The UK’s Scooch entered the 2007 contest with Flying the Flag, an airline themed song. It did poorly, justifiably so, scoring a paltry 19 points and finishing in joint-second-last place with France, just ahead of Ireland. Watch the video and enjoy…
I joined Qatar Airways a few months later and bodged the lyrics to fit their network and commercial challenges at the time…
Kochi to Dubai
All the way from Lagos to Shanghai
Trivandrum to Kuwait
With only 19 hours wait
(But no STPC*!)
Send my freighter to Amsterdam
We’ll catch EK up if we can
All the flights are priced real low
So all the labourers can go… on… Q… R
Singing…
* = Stop-over for the Purpose of Connection
Flying the Flag raises some important points however. Although it scored poorly overall, it won the coveted douze-points from Malta and another seven from Ireland.
These countries traditionally vote relatively favourably towards the UK in Eurovision. The reason is that they have strong ties, with residents often having friends, family or business associates in each other.
Countries cannot vote for themselves, but an expat can vote for their home nation. The Finns will give 12 points to their Swedish brothers. Estonia will vote for Latvia. Belgium will give points to The Netherlands.
The lesson for airlines here is that air travel demand arises from links between people and business. When countries have much in common and like each other they will not only vote that way at Eurovision, there will also be plenty of demand for seats.
Love is good for air travel demand. Peace is even better. Russian airspace closure is a nuisance for British airlines flying to Asia (see article).
Swedish celebs Måns Zelmerlöw and Petra Mede thought that the love and peace theme made the perfect Eurovision song in the interval act during the 2016 contest held in Stockholm (Love Love Peace Peace, Mr Zelmerlöw had won the contest the year before with Heroes).
Ooh Aah, Just a Little Bit
Aussie singer Gina G did quite a bit better than Scooch, coming eighth out of 23 and in the top half of the table in 1996 with Ooh Aah, Just a Little Bit. Gina was arguably sabotaged by a poor and slightly flat performance on the night (see video below) as the studio version is still a fun listen.
Airlines should note that every little bit, every little bit more, really matters when it comes to revenue and profitability. This is the reason why airlines have moved to emphasise ancillary revenue over seat sale.
When people book their seats weeks or months ahead of travel they may not be so bothered about where they sit or what they eat. As the flight becomes imminent though this changes and passengers may pay for value added services. It is no co-incidence that heavily-unbundled airlines like Ryanair are so profitable.
Incidentally, Aussie Gina would be able to represent her home these days. Eurovision is so popular down under thanks to the country’s strong European links that broadcaster ABC is an associate member of the European Broadcasting Union, which runs the event, and participates in the contest.
Boom Bang-a-Bang
Heading back to 1969, Lulu actually won the contest for the United Kingdom with Boom Bang-a-Bang. It is a love song describing a heart beat, but the catchy title is a good but vague description of how airlines need to make passengers feel.
It is fair to say that a good (or even a bad) Eurovision classic will have colour, pizazz and excitement. So too do good airline brands. They make buyers’ hearts go boom bang-a-bang and feel that the airline is aligned with their personality and needs.
A good example is easyJet. Their Generation easyJet campaign pre-COVID was a good attempt to position themselves as a lifestyle company, offering great value European breaks as a normal way of spending the weekend.
Airline brands are charismatic. There are plenty of Aussies whose hearts go a flutter at the anticipation of flying Qantas. Similarly, many Brits are proud to fly BA regardless of the reality of the experience.
An important part of the Qsuite’s success (see article) is that it is a product which high-yield Qataris are proud to fly, unlike the rather standard Recaro ski slope and B/E Mini Pod-type seats the punchy carrier offered before.
Making Your Mind Up
Another way that easyJet stands out is with it’s orange livery. They made their minds up and didn’t let indecision worry them. Bucks Fizz sung about this in their 1981 winner for the UK Making Your Mind Up.
Look at the airlines of China and they almost all have red in their logo. Red is supposed to be a lucky colour in China, but their airlines do not stand out from each other. How is a passenger meant to know the difference? Ultimately they will be leaving revenue on the table as a result.
China Southern’s blue tail is a welcome departure from a sea of red out east. But in Europe blue stands for boring. Luthansa, KLM, SAS and even British Airways blend into each other at airports. The reason that so many airlines go for blue is that blue is the colour of indecision, the only colour that everyone can agree on.
Be bold. Go for purple, yellow, orange, green. Anything but red or blue. New airline brands should make their mind up to avoid the colour of indecision.
It’s up in Space, Man!
Tomorrow’s contest is being held in Liverpool (pictured above). The UK did not actually win the competition last year as Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra took home the trophy with Stefania, a moving song about the ongoing war.
Bristolian Sam Ryder came second last year with Space, Man! The official video features Sam flying through the air in his chair.
It is an emotional journey according to the lyrics and this sensation comes through in the video too. When designing products and services, airlines should remember that the thoughts, emotions and moods of their passengers matter.
Flying really is amazing, something that it is easy for a jaded airline executive in a tough operating environment to forget. Travellers are not numbers on a spreadsheet.
Take me to your Heaven
Charlotte Nilson won the contest for Sweden with Take me to Your Heaven. Another love song, it uses flight as a metaphor for relationships. Just like a good partner, airlines should make their passengers special.
It also has a great and catchy tune, plus notice how Charlotte’s dress was copied by Petra in Love Love Peace Peace.
Take me to your heaven,
Hold on to a dream,
Take me to your heaven,
When my nights are cold and lonely
Flying high together,
On a journey to the stars,
Won't you take me to your heaven to your heart.
Watch the video and sing along now. And don’t forget to tune in to the Grand Final at 7pm GMT tomorrow, Saturday 13-May. YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT!
oliver AT ransonpricing DOT com
[Obviously I don’t own any of these videos – sharing as fair dealing to help readers recognise and understand the songs being referred to]