An aircraft overshoots a runway strip, killing almost everyone on board. Possibly, one of the most unfortunate events in the recent past. But what it triggered is even more unfortunate. Conspiracy theories are floated, mostly in television; a possible human error is questioned from ridiculous angles till some obscure clue of negligence is discovered; and finally, TV news anchors declare the glaring faults of Air India almost with a satisfied smile.
This trial by the media is taking place primarily because Air India is a weak brand. It had been the whipping boy of the media for a while and this unfortunate incident allowed the fault finders to pounce on the brand once more. Let?s examine how the systematic destruction of the brand?s credibility over a period of time has led to this situation.
The Air India brand comes with the baggage of being state-run. And, very often, the perception of state apathy overshadows the better product offerings.
Often Air India has better planes, more timely service and better connectivity. But what is remembered are the apathetic crew, unfriendly hostesses and an overall lack of care. We happily attribute our frustration with the political and governmental system to all consumer-facing brands run by the state. And that always makes them soft targets. A single incident drives a few more nails in the brand?s coffin.
The second big issue with the Air India brand and the reason for the continued assault is the porous nature of the organisation. Every bit of news is out there for public consumption. And the media takes the liberty to drive public opinion around it. We get to know which pilot went to take a leak, how many feet the aircraft descended, and we start to deride the brand and label it callous and irresponsible.
The next issue that?s looming large is one of disaster management. Every brand needs a strong PR management in the face of an adversity. The oft-quoted examples are Toyota and JetBlue, and how they reached out to people at the time of crisis. Against all this, what we hear from the Air India management is an officious ?no comment?. Or even better, a bureaucratic one: ?the matter is under investigation and we will be in a position to comment only after we ascertain the details?. One can almost see the safari suit behind the statement. The management imposed press gag is working to its own detriment. In the absence of any voice from the organisation?the sundry crop of ex-pilots and ex-chairmen are becoming the face of Air India in any public debate. And they are pouring their heart out against the organisation?at times just to play to the gallery.
When a private airline has to divert to another airport with dangerously low fuel, the blame goes straight to the airport authority and justifiably so. But when the same happens with Air India, people start doubting the airline itself.
It?s common knowledge that the brand is saddled with cumulative losses of over Rs 10,000 crore and the government was planning to invest a significant amount to keep it afloat. But the majority of this investment goes to the tangible part of the product improvement and almost nothing goes to the intangible assets of the brand. In that process, the investment in the product doesn?t yield the optimal result. I am not suggesting fancy multi-million dollar campaigns but investment in creating an authentic face for the brand is necessary, especially when it?s facing significant issues. The aviation ministry behaves like a surrogate brand in these times and this invariably brings the credibility down further.
In the recent past, there had been significant signs of forward movement for the brand. NACIL (the entity that was formed by merger of Air India and Indian Airlines) started cutting its losses in the past few months, on the back of an economic recovery and a concomitant growth in air traffic. According to a statement by the chairman, the airline is ready to finish the process of joining the prestigious Star Alliance by the end of the year. The first-mover advantage at the state-of-the-art T3 terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport would have given Air India a significant edge. But all these benefits came crashing down because of the inability of the brand to present a credible face during the crash crisis. If Air India had prudently decided to invest in brand credibility, all the advantages mentioned above could have worked in its favour and maybe against the negativity churned out by the media.
But somewhere, the biggest challenge for brand Air India will remain its own employees. In a service brand, the employees are the most significant brand asset. In Air India?s case, they may currently be a liability. Better equipment and training will avert air disasters and investment in crisis management will help the brand survive trial by the media. But if something drastic is not done about the employee motivation, nobody can avert the crash landing of brand Air India.
The author is managing partner, BBH India