Airline brands are thinking big city and small town
Another brand is recognizing the “small town” shift in consumer feeling: Delta Airlines.
Delta’s ground operations at the Atlanta airport are sporting signs with “Atlanta’s Airline,” “Proud to call Atlanta home,” and “Atlanta’s hometown airline for 70 years.” It’s a Small Town Rule 7: Build You Local Connections play by the brand.
Consumers are increasingly ignoring generic, mass market messages. They want messages that are relevant, and localness is one factor in relevance to people. (Source: Marketing Profs: Brands to Focus on Localized Content Marketing.)
Interestingly, we as consumers have more respect for localness, even when it’s not local to us. For example, we have a positive impression of brands like L.L. Bean that retain their local qualities, even if we are not from their home in Freeport, Maine.
With these smart signs, Delta Airlines is working one of their local angles as a global brand.
Another brand thinking about the positives of “small town” is ExpressJet. They’re offering reach to small towns. Air travel is part of being able to live and work “anywhere, anywhen.” Most of the U.S. population now lives within two hours of a major airport. (I’m one exception, over 2.5 hours away from my nearest airport.)
Delta photo: (CC) by Becky McCray.
ExpressJet: screenshot.
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Small Town Rules: How Big Brands and Small Businesses Can Prosper in a Connected Economy is a book written by Becky McCray and Barry Moltz. It was published in 2012 by Que Biz Tech and was reprinted internationally in 2015.
