Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Wangdi Entry #6


Landor


This is it. Branding agencies, or maybe just Landor, is what I am looking for. Yes, the space was wonderful, yes the presentation was perfection, yes the fun and close knit community of the office was evident during the interaction of our two speakers. However, the work that goes on here and the brands that are clients to Landor are a whole perfect package for me. I love that work is very much about strategy. I was glad that she brought up that the theory/ideas are the easy part, whereas the execution is the difficult part. The challenge she presented was the very thing that I would love to do. There was a balance of both the creative and the strategic work at play. I had mentioned in one of my earlier blog post that the reason I was interested in advertising was because of the creative aspect of it. Although we discussed that it is complex to really distinguish between branding and advertising, I am really drawn to the type of work Ms. Mimi Chakravorti is doing at Landor. The presentation of her team's work with rebranding Crown Royal demonstrated the mix of generating ideas and executing plans to bring the project to life. While one may argue that it is hard to distinguish between advertising work and branding work, I like that branding is more about telling the story of the brand and establishing its identity. Whereas, advertising usually has to do with using creative concepts to sell a product or a brand. I view advertising as the next step beyond branding.

I think one of the main challenges brands face is their aspiration to gain brand loyalists. If we talk about the achieving the impossible, then the challenge would be for brands to achieve brand loyalists who will last for eternity. In terms of opportunities brands face as related to their identity and role in the minds of consumers, the innovation of technology lends creative marketing tools that could aid brands in the process of reaching out to alternative markets.

TTYI: Virgin America and Emirates Airline Announce Frequent Flyer Partnership!



Emirates and Virgin America have announced a frequent flyer partnership that allows members of both airlines' frequent flyer programs to earn and redeem* points or miles for travel across their networks.
The two airlines are respectively recognized as best-in-class for global and U.S. domestic service. Members of Emirates Skywards frequent flyer program will be able to earn Skywards miles when traveling on all Virgin America flights and can redeem their Skywards miles for reward flights on all Virgin America routes. Members of Virgin America's Elevate frequent flyer program can now earn Elevate points when flying with Emirates to one of its 135 destinations in 76 countries, including Dubai and beyond, as well as redeem their Elevate points for international reward flights on any route flown by Emirates including those out of New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Washington (IAD), Seattle (SEA), Houston (IAH), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Boston (BOS). Additionally, Elevate members will have the opportunity to earn and redeem points on Emirates' new non-stop service between New York and Milan.

 Emirates is currently the only carrier to offer a First Class cabin service between these two cities. Phil Seward of Virgin America spoke about the partnership with Emirates:
"We're able to offer enhanced international travel options; Emirates' network can take Elevate members to the Middle East and beyond... Virgin America is an airline recognized for high-quality guest service and unique tech-forward in-flight amenities. In Emirates we have found a partner that also offers guests an attractive mix of award-winning service, innovative in-flight entertainment and other features."
To celebrate the launch of the frequent flyer partnership, one lucky Elevate member will "Win a Dream Trip to Dubai with Emirates" which includes two round trip Economy class tickets on Emirates to Dubai for an exclusive VIP experience that includes a three-night stay at Dubai's iconic Atlantis, The Palm resort, a Dolphin Encounter at the resort's Dolphin Bay,  and a unique all-inclusive dinner in the desert dunes.  All Elevate members will also earn 250 Elevate points for entering the promotion.
Emirates is the fifth airline to join Virgin America's Elevate frequent flyer program, which also includes Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. 

No comments:

Post a Comment