Best Integrated Travel Marketing Campaign Time Travel - AirAsia

Ranjith Kumar, Anup Mancheswar and Siddhartha Butalia felicitated Best Integrated Travel Marketing Campaign Time Travel.

A mid-day recognition for this special category. What does it mean to you?

We're delighted to receive this recognition of our campaigns to strengthen the AirAsia brand in India. As a younger brand in an established category, AirAsia's share of voice and engagement leads our share of the market. Salience and communication metrics steer our marketing strategy, and positive affirmation from credible industry and media channels are a welcome validation that bolster our efforts.

From National to International branding, mid-day Icons have gone bigger this year. What are your thoughts on this and how will it help in your branding?

Airline brands lack significant differentiation in the minds of consumers. To enable sustainable business category commoditization and price-driven purchase behaviour must make way for differentiated offerings relevant to distinct audiences. It is thus essential that brands drive salience with distinctive marketing and a source of encouragement when marketing efforts in this regard receive such validation.

How has your experience been with mid-day? What has been the change that you have seen post your association with it?

Experience with mid-day has been excellent. It has helped us reach the right audience through their network.

What do you think are the redeeming features of your services that sets you apart from the rest?

In the past year, AirAsia India has grown its fleet, introduced new routes.As a well-loved brand, AirAsia is focussed on reliability, on-time performance and a delightful guest experience. These, along with our deep consumer understanding have been the drivers of our growth.

The Pandemic situation was a blow on the travel and hospitality services. How did you manage to stay afloat?

The Covid-19 pandemic is a crisis that has no precedence. Almost two decades after 9/11, which caused a significant change in global aviation, Covid-19 has created a much deeper disruption and the industry and the way it operates will further evolve in the months to come.

Using the unprecependent time, we managed to rise up to the occasion by meticulous planning, open culture and digital acceptance. The lockdown has taught us some unimagined lessons about the future and has drastically changed our worldview.

What have been the challenges and triumphs (if any) that the Pandemic has posed for your sector which according to you will have a lasting effect?

We made use of these times adapted to the market needs.

Digi Yatra (contactless facial recognition based through check-in at airports

DigiYatra is one of the most innovative approaches in making air travel convenient for flyers. As an airline that embraces technology AirAsia India has partnered with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BLR Airport) to extend this service for guests travelling from Bengaluru as an effort towards improving safe and contactless procedures at a time when social distancing is key. Bengaluru being our home base has had the advantage of adopting several industry first initiatives such as self-bag-drop in the past, and DigiYatra now.

Flyporter

In line with our commitment towards providing a safe and healthy environment to our guests, partners and Allstars, AirAsia India became the first domestic airline to launch a safe door to door baggage service in June'20

Tia- Chatboat

Tia, our simplified and agent-friendly chatbot is getting faster, smarter, and more efficient every day!

Do you think you have achieved your vision or is there more to achieve - your future goals?

We operate in one of the largest and fastest growing aviation markets, with a young, diverse population for whom AirAsia India is relevant and poised to make the most of the inevitable growth. As a travel technology player, AirAsia India has a strategic advantage in leveraging data and consumer insights to expand our ecosystem, enhance guest engagement and deliver sustainable growth.

Your success mantra?

Our success lies in dedication to our values - safety and sustainability, guest-obsession, putting people first, the desire to dream and make it happen and the commitment to our unified vision. The cornerstone is the strong ethos of our parent organisations from whom we inherit our culture and ambition for operational excellence, pioneering innovation and drive to improve the quality of life of the communities we serve.