Monthly Archives: October 2020

Delta Has a Brilliant Strategy to Eliminate Fear and Get People Flying Again: Instagram

Delta, like all airlines, faces a very real, very big challenge. Right now, the vast majority of people aren’t that interested in climbing onto an airplane with 100 people they don’t know for a few hours. 

It turns out that traveling isn’t as bad as you think it would be. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t very different. For example, when I flew to New York City last month, I had no idea what to expect. Even as a fairly regular traveler during “normal” times, I had more anxiety about getting on a plane than I ever had before. 

That’s entirely natural considering that most people don’t like the “unknown.” We tend to avoid uncertainty as much as possible. Flying simply involves too many variables out of our control for most of us to take what seems like an unnecessary risk during a pandemic.  

But if you’re Delta, that’s bad news. In fact, it’s very expensive bad news. As a result, the company has made an extraordinary effort to keep passengers and crew members safe. 

In an interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle at The Atlantic Festival, Delta’s CEO made clear the cost of COVID-19 to the airline’s business:

We’re flying today at a 60 percent load factor cap. So that means 40 percent of the seats we fly, we are deliberately not filling and not selling. That is not cheap. But the more important decision we make is we gotta put people over profits. And we know that instilling confidence in our customers, as well as our own employees, is job number one. That’s our priority right now.

I’d much rather people remember Delta as the company that took care of them through the pandemic… Customers are making a decisions about who Delta is by the values that we put out on display.

All of that is great, but the key here is “instilling confidence.” None of the rest of it matters if people are too anxious or afraid to do business with your company. To that end, Delta has a brilliant strategy for providing information for customers: Instagram. This morning, I was swiping through my feed, when I came across the following post.

If you tap on it, it reveals individual profiles for each of the different steps the company is taking to make the boarding process safer. If you select one of those profiles, they provide additional information. For example, if you tap on the Customer.Face.Masks profile, it explains:

For everyone’s safety, customers must wear a mask or face covering, and extra masks and Care Kits will be available if you need one. Those with underlying conditions who can’t wear a mask or face covering are required to complete a “Clearance-To-Fly” process before being permitted to travel.

Think about that for a moment. Delta took the time to create a dozen Instagram profiles so that it could better communicate with its followers. Sure, you can argue that Delta has plenty of resources and staff to do this. That’s definitely true. But the thought behind this makes it effective for two reasons.

The first is that it helps create expectations. In that example about face masks, it provides a potential traveler with all of the information they need to know about what is required of them. It even details the process if a passenger has an issue with wearing a mask. (As a side-note, Delta’s CEO says the company has already put 350 people on a no-fly list for refusing to wear masks.)

The second reason I think this is so effective is that it’s not just about creating expectations for someone who has already decided to travel. In my article describing my flight last month, I explained the steps the company is taking to do just that. In a statement, Delta told me, “Our community management team has been highly engaged and very responsive with customers to help increase confidence and reduce anxiety.”

This, on the other hand, is meant to reach people who haven’t decided to travel. It wasn’t on their website or in an email. It was on Instagram. Remember Instagram, that place where we all used to share images of the cool places we visited when we traveled? Delta clearly wants us to get back to that, which is why the fact that it ran this content there is so effective. 

Delta is meeting travelers who have a sense of wanderlust where they are, and is helping them better understand the effort the company is taking to keep everyone safe. That, in turn, helps to reduce the anxiety and uncertainty around travel.

None of that is easy, especially now. And, it doesn’t mean people are going to suddenly start buying plane tickets. This, however, is a creative and interactive way to create expectations. In fact, I think it’s brilliant. 

BY JASON ATEN, TECH COLUMNIST@JASONATEN INC.

Delta Has a Brilliant Strategy to Eliminate Fear and Get People Flying Again: Instagram

Delta, like all airlines, faces a very real, very big challenge. Right now, the vast majority of people aren’t that interested in climbing onto an airplane with 100 people they don’t know for a few hours. 

It turns out that traveling isn’t as bad as you think it would be. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t very different. For example, when I flew to New York City last month, I had no idea what to expect. Even as a fairly regular traveler during “normal” times, I had more anxiety about getting on a plane than I ever had before. 

That’s entirely natural considering that most people don’t like the “unknown.” We tend to avoid uncertainty as much as possible. Flying simply involves too many variables out of our control for most of us to take what seems like an unnecessary risk during a pandemic.  

But if you’re Delta, that’s bad news. In fact, it’s very expensive bad news. As a result, the company has made an extraordinary effort to keep passengers and crew members safe. 

In an interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle at The Atlantic Festival, Delta’s CEO made clear the cost of COVID-19 to the airline’s business:

We’re flying today at a 60 percent load factor cap. So that means 40 percent of the seats we fly, we are deliberately not filling and not selling. That is not cheap. But the more important decision we make is we gotta put people over profits. And we know that instilling confidence in our customers, as well as our own employees, is job number one. That’s our priority right now.

I’d much rather people remember Delta as the company that took care of them through the pandemic… Customers are making a decisions about who Delta is by the values that we put out on display.

All of that is great, but the key here is “instilling confidence.” None of the rest of it matters if people are too anxious or afraid to do business with your company. To that end, Delta has a brilliant strategy for providing information for customers: Instagram. This morning, I was swiping through my feed, when I came across the following post.

If you tap on it, it reveals individual profiles for each of the different steps the company is taking to make the boarding process safer. If you select one of those profiles, they provide additional information. For example, if you tap on the Customer.Face.Masks profile, it explains:

For everyone’s safety, customers must wear a mask or face covering, and extra masks and Care Kits will be available if you need one. Those with underlying conditions who can’t wear a mask or face covering are required to complete a “Clearance-To-Fly” process before being permitted to travel.

Think about that for a moment. Delta took the time to create a dozen Instagram profiles so that it could better communicate with its followers. Sure, you can argue that Delta has plenty of resources and staff to do this. That’s definitely true. But the thought behind this makes it effective for two reasons.

The first is that it helps create expectations. In that example about face masks, it provides a potential traveler with all of the information they need to know about what is required of them. It even details the process if a passenger has an issue with wearing a mask. (As a side-note, Delta’s CEO says the company has already put 350 people on a no-fly list for refusing to wear masks.)

The second reason I think this is so effective is that it’s not just about creating expectations for someone who has already decided to travel. In my article describing my flight last month, I explained the steps the company is taking to do just that. In a statement, Delta told me, “Our community management team has been highly engaged and very responsive with customers to help increase confidence and reduce anxiety.”

This, on the other hand, is meant to reach people who haven’t decided to travel. It wasn’t on their website or in an email. It was on Instagram. Remember Instagram, that place where we all used to share images of the cool places we visited when we traveled? Delta clearly wants us to get back to that, which is why the fact that it ran this content there is so effective. 

Delta is meeting travelers who have a sense of wanderlust where they are, and is helping them better understand the effort the company is taking to keep everyone safe. That, in turn, helps to reduce the anxiety and uncertainty around travel.

None of that is easy, especially now. And, it doesn’t mean people are going to suddenly start buying plane tickets. This, however, is a creative and interactive way to create expectations. In fact, I think it’s brilliant. 

BY JASON ATEN, TECH COLUMNIST@JASONATEN INC.

The purr-fect way to kick off October! The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre all set to welcome its first two consumer exhibitions

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 September 2020 – The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) is looking forward to hosting two consumer exhibitions during October, when the venue welcomes visitors for the Beautylife Bonanza from 1 – 3 October and Ekspo Kucing (Cat Expo) 2020 from the 2 – 4 October.

The inaugural Beautylife Bonanza will provide Malaysians with great value and irresistible package deals from an extensive range of beauty and lifestyle brands.

For all the cat lovers out there, Ekspo Kucing, the largest feline-related exhibition in Malaysia, will be a must visit. With lots of great deals, massive promotions, giveaways and savings of up to 80%, this is one exhibition that your furry friends don’t want you to miss!

Both exhibitions offer free admission and will be taking place in a hygienic, controlled and secure environment with stringent safety and security measures in place, which are in line with the approved Malaysian National Security Council Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

According to the Centre’s General Manager, Alan Pryor, “Is it great to be welcoming consumer exhibitions back to the Centre and we are pleased to be kicking off with these two fun events. Being able to host exhibitions again is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Malaysia’s Frontliners and Government in combatting Covid-19 in the country.”

To enhance the visitor experience, the Centre’s Café 88 conveniently located on the Ground Level in the Centre Core will also be open for guests to savour true Malaysian tastes to grab and go or relax and enjoy local favourites with a spectacular view of the PETRONAS Twin Towers overlooking the KLCC Park. With many delicious and affordable dishes, it is the purr-fect place to take a break when attending events at the Centre.

He continued, “Since we reopened our doors on 1 July, we are grateful to have safely and successfully hosted 84 events – two conventions, two entertainment events and 80 meetings and events (up to 25 September). We have been working tirelessly to restore consumer confidence in events and are starting to see signs of recovery, with 10 exhibitions (trade and consumer) in the pipeline for the rest of 2020.”

Gerard Leeuwenburgh, Country General Manager – Malaysia, Informa Markets (Organiser of Beautylife Bonanza) shared, “We are excited and ready to bring our trade shows back in the new normal and are happy to be hosting the inaugural Beautylife Bonanza at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.”

“As part of our commitment to being a socially responsible organisation, we always aim to do more for the betterment of life in the societies we operate in while providing our customers the best possible solutions for their business. This is why we have themed this year’s event ‘Giving Back to Community’ to help alleviate the impact on the underprivileged community and to achieve and maintain a sustainable livelihood through economic opportunities. So, we hope to see a great turn out from the community to support these organisations,” he concluded.

VisitBritain COVID-19 Update & ‘We’re Good To Go’ Industry Standard

While the 14-day quarantine for US inbound arrivals remains
in place, Great Britain is one of only a few destinations in Europe that
Americans can actually enter.  The UK Government re-evaluates the
travel advisories every three weeks. For the latest details, be sure to
check the guidelines on GOV.UK. The new ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard has been a success with 38,000+ applications from UK
businesses received. The “We’re Good To Go” mark signals that a tourismand hospitality business has adapted their operations in line with
respective Government and public health guidance and has a COVID-19
risk assessment in place to aid staff training, social distancing and
cleanliness. Go to https://goodtogo.visitbritain.com/discover to view our new interactive map showing all the businesses which have received
the mark, so you can plan your client’s trips with ease.