Japan Airlines truly had the rug pulled from under it when the Tokyo Olympics were wiped off the calendar. Regardless of this hiccup, the airline rapidly pivoted its social media campaigns from upbeat pre-games content to building trust and listening to its customers. With this, the airline has positioned itself as a caring, responsible brand, and is successfully leveraging its situation to begin stimulating demand again.
A very different 2020
At the start of the year, Japan was looking forward to a historical year, as it made the final preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the anticipated arrival of hundreds of millions of people from across the globe. Airport slots had opened up, new routes had been launched and airlines around the world were preparing to boost capacity to Tokyo ahead of the Games.
Central to the preparations for the event was national carrier Japan Airlines. Before the year even started, the airline had planned months of marketing campaigns to complement the event and ensure its slice of the increased air travel demand. In March, the airline flew a special Boeing 787 to Greece to collect the Olympic flame. Nobody could have predicted what was to happen next.
By the end of March, it was confirmed that the Tokyo Olympics would be postponed to the following year, signing the death knell for months of planning and preparations. Akira Mitsumasu, Vice President of Global Marketing at Japan Airlines, speaking at the World Aviation Festival today, explained just how drastically things changed for Japan Airlines.
“Unfortunately, the Olympic Games have to wait until next year. And so, we had to cancel all the things that we prepared for this year. So that was disappointing. We actually cancelled a lot of campaigns that we had prepared for March, April, and leading into the summer months. The content wasn’t really relevant and obviously the mood wasn’t there.”
As lockdowns around the world began, Japan Airlines realized that it needed to move quickly to maintain its customer relationships and replace its celebratory pre-Olympic campaigns with something rather different. Akira-san commented,
“Our shift moved towards social media to really listen to the conversation.”
Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest.
Repurposing Japan Airlines
Akira noted that the airline was faced with a very different 2020 than it had been expecting, but that it rose to the challenge. Taking its COVID-positive actions like repatriation flights and PPE transportation and turning them into socially inspirational stories maintained that all-important level of engagement with its passengers.
✈️想いを一つに✈️
ロンドン・ヒースロー空港で#JAL #ANA 合同の
お見送りを行いました✋人々の生活を支えるために
ご搭乗いただく皆さまへ
感謝の気持ちを込めて…再び安心して出かけられる日へ向けて
安全運航のために
今出来ることに励んで参ります。想いを一つに乗り越えましょう！ pic.twitter.com/X6gZqkAWqG
— JAPAN AIRLINES【JAL】 (@JAL_Official_jp) May 26, 2020
Listening to customers was key and keeping its ear to the ground on social media allowed JAL to create posts that really resonated with its audience. Akira commented,
“It’s quite encouraging to see that we are creating positive social norms that are all about caring for one another, sharing, and collectively creating this voice. I think it’s a good thing to do. But all this comes with a lot of actions. It’s not just seeing but really repurposing ourselves.”
安全・安心な空の旅を
お届けするために
―――――――――✈️JALグループ新型コロナウイルス感染症予防対策についてご案内いたします。
⇒https://t.co/aqAl1wDfK0ご搭乗時はマスクの着用やソーシャルディスタンシングなどにご協力をお願いいたします。#お客さまの安全・安心を第一に#新しい空の旅へ pic.twitter.com/RBEjiRLY9n
— JAPAN AIRLINES【JAL】 (@JAL_Official_jp) June 15, 2020
Providing socially responsible leadership during the worst of times has positioned JAL to rebound from the crisis in a strong and powerful way. As borders slowly open and demand begins to pick up, it is this messaging and positioning that will help the airline stimulate a return to the skies, by being a trusted brand with its passengers.
Celebrating the wider community
Although Japan Airlines did a good job of positioning itself as a caring airline throughout the pandemic, Akira noted that it was just as important to tell the stories of the community it serves too. He said,
“It’s not just about sharing what we’re doing. It’s also about resonating with what other people are doing. For example, coming together to express our gratitude to the heroes or the people who are working in in health care services, thanking them. We actually had a small campaign whereby we had everyone fold paper planes. In Japan, it’s a symbol of resilience. And so, it’s a way of saying thank you, but at the same time also showing that we are always standing by you to be more resilient.”
✈️━ ━ ━ ━
#おうち時間 に
紙ヒコーキで遊ぼう！
～折り方編～
━ ━ ━ ━✈️空育®JAL折り紙ヒコーキ教室の
指導員も務める運航乗務員が
折るときのコツをご紹介👨✈️普段折っている折り方にひと工夫💡
気軽にやってみよう❗#STAYHOME pic.twitter.com/XJEpVHZ7zs— JAPAN AIRLINES【JAL】 (@JAL_Official_jp) May 1, 2020
At every stage of the pandemic, Japan Airlines has nailed the messaging and has built the trust between itself and its passengers. This trust, it can now leverage to boost demand as it returns to flying, giving passengers the confidence that they will be looked after.
／
羽田空港第1ターミナル北ウイング
明日7/1から再開✈️
＼キレイな空港でお客さまをお迎えするため
消毒や清掃作業を行い準備を整えました!すべてのお客さまに#安全安心な空の旅 をお届けするため#JALグループ は
新型コロナウイルス感染症対策を実施し
ご搭乗をお待ちしております。 pic.twitter.com/FGFceIHfsr— JAPAN AIRLINES【JAL】 (@JAL_Official_jp) June 30, 2020
