I saw this article today and said to myself, “That’s EXACTLY the sort of personality I was writing about in that last post about a company’s business branding and how it affects customer loyalty” So thought I would share it.
I have heard about Kulula’s personality antics in the past, but forgot about it as a reference until seeing this last article. (I’ve never flown, sadly. If I had, then there would be no doubt I would have remembered.) The reason why I mention it is that it’s a great demonstration of branding with personality, and doing so across the board. They do it, literally, on their skin (at least the airplane skins, I’m assuming here most of the staff don’t have company tattoos).
Here’s an except of the article written by Josh Linkner for Fast Company:
“… And then there’s Kulula Airlines, a South African discount flight provider. In an industry where even the peanuts are identical from carrier to carrier, Kulula stands out with a personality cleverer than Conan O’Brien.
How fun, right? But it isn’t just about paint–their edgy brand personality permeates the entire organization. For example, here are some actual comments heard over the PA system on Kulula flights:
“Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride.”
And from the pilot during his welcome message: “Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!”
After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the captain taxis what’s left of our airplane to the gate!”
Part of a flight attendant’s arrival announcement: “We’d like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you’ll think of Kulula Airways.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing. If you can light ’em, you can smoke ’em.”
To Kulula, this stuff isn’t just marketing hyperbole. It’s who they are. It is their culture and personality; an authentic message about having fun and not taking themselves too seriously. And as a result, they stand apart from all the other nameless, faceless airlines. They dared to be different. They let their creativity shine. Their imagination is viewed as jet fuel to success rather than a liability that must be controlled…”
(read the entire article about branding swagger here)
Some might be intimidated by this “out there” approach, but take note of that last paragraph: it’s who they are. It’s authentic. In this case, the insert their personality and culture into the “experience” that is flying with them and it becomes part of the brand.
I applaud anyone who embraces who they are and makes it part of their brand. Way to go Kulula!
