Touching the Sore Spots

Contrary to Tola Odusote’s claim in the last edition of our beloved journal, I am still very much ‘Naija-based o!’

I am sure we all have an idea of what a brand promise is. It is that claim companies and products make about themselves that portrays them as better than their competitors, e.g. “Touching the Right Spots” (Virgin Nigeria), “Service Straight from the Heart” (Cathay Pacific), etc.

Between 1903 when the Wright brothers flew their aero plane and today, so much has happened to aviation. We are now on the verge of commercial ‘space tourism’ courtesy of space travel being in the private domain- SpaceShipOne technology has now been licensed to provide the platform for a Virgin Galactic fleet.

I should like to believe that Virgin Nigeria commenced operations with its inaugural flight to London in 2005. The airplane, I understand, is a joint venture, 51 per cent held by Nigerian institutional investors and 49 per cent by Virgin Atlantic. I notice too that Virgin is a heavy-hitting brand, which easily secures the loyalty of high value customers through the consistent delivery of an ‘on-brand’ experience, across all points of contact whenever.

Established in 1984, Virgin Atlantic Airways is now the second largest British long-haul international airplane, and it is not surprising that it has won many major awards, including Airplane of the Year Award several times.

I decided to travel by Virgin Nigeria to London last December primarily because I considered its association with Virgin Atlantic. Also I could not imagine Virgin Nigeria without thinking about Richard Branson, who is so passionately committed to the Virgin brand such that it resonates across the Virgin Group of companies, which include international music mega-stores, air travel, mobile, financial, retail, music, Internet, drinks, rail, hotels and leisure, with about 200 companies in over 30 countries.

Branson, no doubt, is a top-level evangelist who clearly articulates the importance of ‘Living the Brand.’ If you doubt this then try finding out about his boat “Virgin Atlantic Challenger II” and its exploits in 1986, or his hot air balloon, “Virgin Atlantic Flyer,” which, in 1987, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reaching speeds in excess of 209 km/ph.

One reason why Virgin is a successful brand is because it focuses on the internal brand, and it has the happy customers to prove it. When my host in Bromley, a staff of NTL, said that his organization was paying £255 million just for the privilege of using the name Virgin, I was not surprised.

A survey recently conducted by London-based consultancy Skytrax, asked more than 12 million citizens of 94 countries to grade the world’s airlines according to a broad variety of parameters. The study examined the entire travel process, from booking a ticket to arriving at one’s destination. The efficiency of check-in and boarding procedures, handling of delays, as well as whether gate crew were friendly, etc. also played significant bases for which the grading was done.

A friend of mine had obtained a Virgin Nigeria e-Ticket on my behalf but it did not contain much information like number of luggage/weight, arrival terminal, etc. Trying to get my inquiry answered through an advertised telephone number produced an unusual result- the owner of the number, a male staff, spent the first two minutes drilling me on how I got his number! The ‘funny’ fellow did not know that his number was one of those gracing his airline’s press advertisements!

This immediately revealed that the Virgin Nigeria staff do not speak and act with the same voice and commitment, hence their inability to bring the power of synergies to the fore. The ‘big man’- I guess, from his confident voice- could not even answer my questions! I had to ‘travel’ to Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, where the airline’s desk satisfactorily treated my enquiry.

The check-in personnel were not bad at all but the same cannot be said of their boarding counterparts who could not even give one reason for the three and a half-hour delay to which we were being subjected. There was no single apology from any of them while that tendered by the British pilot was too weak to get most of us convinced.

Shortly before then, there was a fit of rage by a Nigerian lady who claimed that one of the boarding staff had thrown her passport at her. On board, another Nigerian, male, created a scene as he threatened to facilitate the sack of one of the hostesses apparently for some dereliction.

When my host came for me at 3.00am the sight of children being checked by immigration officials at that unholy hour made him cringe; it was obvious that we were the only passengers that had arrived at the airport at that time. What is the point of investing in brand communications and corporate slogans that make consumer promises which the workforce is not interested in keeping? The truth is Virgin Nigeria employees are not engaged with their brand, and as such the brand cannot build itself (from the inside out).

Why spend millions on advertising to attract customers who will only discover that the staff they interact with do not live up to the advertising messages? The airline must realize that the personnel are also its customers- they should understand, buy-into, and act according to the brand identity and experience. Increasing competition in a shrinking global market can only mean that brands differentiate their offerings through the brand experience.

It is important that the airline mobilizes its staff around the brand. It should develop cross-functional teams comprising staff from across the internal hierarchy to assist with placing the brand itself at the heart of the business. Is Virgin Nigeria’s “Touching the Right Spots” tied to performance management in order to create brand champions across the organization? I guess the airline has been busy not touching the right spots but touching the sore spots!

Today, customers are redefining brands through word-of-mouth, mass customization and technology. Building world-class brands now therefore requires understanding the critical links between corporate reputation and brand positioning, and the interrelated role these factors play in creating sustainable consumer preferences for a company and its products/ services.

Our airline’s ability to live up to its brand promise will become the real and sustainable competitive advantage that its service will strive to achieve. If employees do not endorse the brand promise its delivery will certainly be corrupted. It is therefore imperative that Virgin Nigeria aligns its promise with the internal systems that deliver it.

My return trip was a bit better because we got £5 written off our tickets by way of food voucher as if to atone for another three hours’ delay to which we were subjected once again. More disheartening was the fact that we were joined by many passengers who could not be airlifted the previous day! Up Nigeria!

In the Skytrax survey, Cathay Pacific was repeatedly singled out for the high quality and consistency of its frontline staff, in the airport environment as well as onboard flights (CNN 2007), thereby living its brand promise of “Service Straight from the Heart.” The winner of the Survey was, of course, Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong-based carrier.

While I pondered my experience with our dear national carrier, I realized that the best, most award- winning advertisements in the world cannot correct poor customer service and interaction.

But I still love Naija! To prove this, I pestered my friend, ‘marvelous Ben’ to let me pose for a photograph beside Nigeria Road street sign in Charlton as we made our way to Thamesmead on Christmas Day. Up Naija- Virgin Nigeria go better!