Yesterday, I flew out of BWI, a DC local airport. I was flying Southwest Airlines, (a brand I have loyalty toward due to several very positive experiences with them). There was definitely an increased security at my gate (probably due to the recent airline events), and there were several additional Southwest Airlines personnel at the gate offering assistance before boarding our flight.
I was highly comforted by this act given the recent security breach and further instilled my brand loyalty to Southwest Airlines.
This is an excellent example of brand alignment. Companies must ensure that every interaction with their preexisting customers lives up to their corporate values and that customers’ previous interactions with the brand. In my other experiences with Southwest, the air crews made my trips a delight and personal experience. As such, I do have high expectations when it comes to flying with Southwest and I have yet to encounter a sub-par experience.
Because I have this brand identification, I am confident that should I have any future negative experience with the brand, I’ll be able to resolve my issue in a quick and efficient manner. Also, should I experience a negative encounter with the brand, I doubt that I would ‘jump ship’ (jump plane?) and switch to another airline carrier, because my positive experiences would outweigh the negative ones.
However, it is much more costly to overcome a customers’ negative impression from a brand—especially when this impression is the first one had from the company in question.
Which brings me to brand alignment: Brands must live what they say through every interaction less risk the potential of losing a brand ambassador.
