Southwest Slam Dunk

As a marketer, I'm always looking for effective ways (or non-effective ways) brands reach me. I have high expectations, which is why I was impressed with my Zappos experience last year.

Southwest just broke through the clutter with a Rapid Rewards direct mail piece. I can identify an airline's miles statement immediately, and do you know what I do with them? I don't even open them; I just rip them in half and throw them away. It's either them trying to get me to sign up for their credit card to "earn miles faster!" or some other offer I'm just not interested in. So when this piece landed in my mailbox last week, I was intrigued. It was packaged differently; not just an envelope.

When opened, a pull-out note on top thanked me for my seven years of membership and a personalized luggage tag was on the bottom. 

The piece worked for a few reasons:

1. The packaging was unique and stood out from ordinary mail/envelopes.

2. It was personalized with not only my name, but the number of years of membership.

3. Along the same lines, it was unexpected. Think of big milestones--typically the first or something ending in either a five or a zero. Seven is different. It's thoughtful. It's unique. Kind of like Southwest.

4. It's a nice piece. The luggage tag is something I'll use, and I'm normally not a branded-chotchkie kind of girl.

As marketers, we constantly talk about moving your target audience from awareness to loyalty. From drink tickets to free checked bags to unexpected and personalized customer interactions, Southwest knows how to retain passengers for life...says the girl in 16A.

Zak's Going Home!

Yippee! Zak is going home and believe it or not, we have American Airlines to thank! Very cool of you to step up to the plate, AA. Sorry for talking smack about you all the time. Now if your flights would start being punctual and you'd stop charging for checked luggage, you might be my favorite airline.

In all seriousness, thanks and job well done American Airlines.

Read about AA's donation here.

Ringing in 2009

While we missed ringing in 2009 with our friends, we could not have been anywhere better. My family was privileged to celebrate the new year (and Husker victory!) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There was never a dull or inactive moment! We rode snowmobiles through Yellowstone, sledded, skied, went on a sleigh ride, got massages (at least the ladies did!), hot tubbed, sauna-d and ate and drank too much. And somehow... even though we flew through Denver and in and out of Idaho Falls - in December/January...all flights were on time. It was the perfect culmination to 2008 and a fantastic way to commence 2009.

Because $25 for the second bag wasn't enough

United Airlines is doubling its fee for a second checked bag from $25.00 to $50.00. The charge goes into effect today for travel beginning November 10 and applies to tickets for flights within the U.S. or to or from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.*

If you have two bags you might as well just add $100 onto your ticket price.

Unbelievable.

*This annoying update brought to you courtesy of The Boston Globe.

When Fergie wrote the song “Glamorous” she wasn’t talking about air travel

Because, really. What is glamorous about air travel? Taking your shoes off and standing barefoot on a nasty tile floor where millions of others have stood barefoot before you? (And according to a quick, very scientific Google search, 20 percent of people have onychomycosis – also known as toenail fungus. I’m gagging as I type.) Nope, I’ve got it. The glamorous thing about air travel is exposing the others in the security line to the kind of toothpaste, hairspray, shampoo and other 3.4-ounce or less beauty products you use via your one quart plastic bag. Oh no. Wait. The glamorous thing about air travel is hauling ass in high heels to a gate halfway across the airport to attempt to catch an early flight only to see a “standby for this flight is closed” sign on the counter. More glamorous than that? Riding the monorail thing back to your original gate and having a bitchy American Airlines flight attendant basically push you out of the way and say “are you going?” in an attempt to exit the monorail. (What WOULD be glamorous is saying “listen bizo, I’m in a bad mood because of your damn company so I’d suggest being polite!) But I’ve got it. The most glamorous thing about air travel is, as I am currently doing, sitting in DFW airport since 3:30 p.m. waiting for my 5:50 flight that is now departing at 8:30.

When I started my job I remember being so excited to travel. Now, I can say from experience, many bad experiences, it ain’t so G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S.