Comment piece by Mark Rae, business development director, at Brandhouse
Despite groundings its entire fleet on October 29, as a result of industrial action by its staff, Brandhouse’s business development director Mark Rae argues that the brand can come out of the crisis unscathed.Qantas has had a sequence of bad publicity, but as an established and trusted global brand with long term brand loyalty, it can recover from these latest union disputes. The key test is always around how a brand manages a crisis, including how quickly it is resolved, how customers are dealt with and how the chief executive communicates to the press.
Fortunately this episode has been short-lived and, although it gained wide media coverage, it appears to have been resolved quickly with the company's CEO taking firm and decisive action. Indeed, Fair Work Australia’s emergency ruling, which ordered the unions to come to an agreement was seen as a victory for the Qantas brand.
Of course, it will take time to restore the schedule to normality, but this is an opportunity for the brand to actively demonstrate how it delivers in its promise to look after you if things don't go as planned.
With BA recently coming under criticism for announcing a new strapline which many believe it cannot match, Qantas needs to avoid facing similar problems which could damage the brand in the long term. For now, Qantas would do well to focus on delivering exemplary customer service which will generate positive brand advocacy, rebuilding any trust that might have been lost during the crisis.
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